m  u 


LEOE 


Ex  Libris 
C.  K.  OGDEN 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


Memoirs 

of  the 

Countess  Potocka 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA, 
'ee  Anna  Tyszkicwicz ;  author  of  the  "  Memoirs." 

/  >  •;:,  an  engraving  cj 'the portrait  by  A  r.gelica  Kaitffmann . 


Memoirs 

of  the 

Countess  Potocka 

Edited  by  Casimir  Stryienski 

Authorised  Translation  by 
Lionel  Strachey 

Ullustratefc 


New  York 

Doubleday  &  McClure  Co. 
1900 


Copyright,  1900,  by 
DOUBLEDAY  &  McCLURE  Co. 


bg  iHanfjattan 
Ntto  gork,  a.  *.  «. 


College 
Library 

DK 


TO    THE 

SPIRIT    OF    THE 

NOBLE,  AMIABLE,  AND    TALENTED 

PATRIOTESS, 

WHOSE    RICH    REMINISCENCES    AND    CHARMING   COMMENTS 
ARE    HEREWITHIN    PRESENTED, 

THE    TRANSLATOR 
REVERENTLY    DEDICATES 

THIS 
ENGLISH    VERSION 


Thanks  are  due  to  the  editor  of 
"  The  Parisian  "  for  kind  per- 
mission to  reprint  the  extracts 
from  these  Memoirs  previously 
published  in  that  magazine. 


./.fSifvi" 


JrA  '• 


t^/GZ!~s&-J ty£*'_, 

••*  jCatfZt^&et 


***-&:•*' 


A  Page  in  Facsimile  (reduced)  of  the  Original  Manuscript 
of  the  "  Memoirs." 


CONTENTS 


PACK 

TRANSLATOR'S  NOTE    .....  v 

PREFACE       ..........     xxi 

part  tbe  ff  irst 

YOUNG   MEMORIES 

CHAPTER  I.    THE  CASTLE  OF  BIALYSTOK,  1794 

The  Margravine  of  Baireuth  —  The  Margrave  of  Bai- 
reuth  —  The  Last  King  of  Poland  —  Bialystok  —  Ma- 
dame de  Cracovie  —  April  18,  1794  —  The  Ladies  in 
Kosciuszko's  Camp  —  Massacre  of  Praga,  November  4, 


CHAPTER  II.  THE  "  EMIGRANTS"  AND  Louis  XVIII.,  1798 
The  Bassompierres  at  Bialystok  —  The  Count  —  A  So- 
ciety Poet  —  Mademoiselle  de  Rigny  —  Glorious  Mem- 
ories —  Arrival  of  Louis  XVIII.  —  The  Disappointment 
of  the  Bassompierres  —  Marriage  Plans  for  the  Duke 
de  Berry  and  Anna  Tyszkiewicz  —  A  Female  Admirer 
of  Bonaparte  —  Count  Tyszkiewicz  —  His  Noble  and 
Patriotic  Conduct  —  Catherine's  Anger  .  .  .  .10 

CHAPTER  III.     THE  ASTROLOGER,  1802 

Mademoiselle  Duchene,  Madame  de  Cracovie's  Com- 
panion —  Life  at  the  Castle  —  Chateaubriand  and  Rous- 
seau —  Charles  XII.  —  The  Swedish  Astrologer  —  He 
Predicts  Stanislaus  Augustus  a  Throne  —  The  Good  Old 
Times  ..........  17 


X  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  IV.     MARRIAGE  TO  COUNT  ALEXANDER  POTOCKI, 
1802 

Marriage  Schemes  —  Arrival  of  Count  Potocki  at  Bialy- 
stok — Count  Stanislaus  Potocki  —  Count  Tyszkiewicz 
and  General  Beningsen  —  Death  of  Paul  I. —  The  Au- 
thor's Education  and  Tastes  —  Countess  Tyszkiewicz  — 
Madame  Sobolewska 24 

CHAPTER  V.     LAN^UT  AND  PULAWY,  1803 

Sentimental  Walk  by  Moonlight  —  Feminine  Guile  — 
Wedding  Visits  —  The  Princess  Marshal  —  His  Grace 
of  Laon  —  Pulawy  —  Prince  Adam  Casimir  Czartoryski 

—  His  Generosity  —  The  Park  at  Pulawy — The  Gothic 
House  —  Reminiscences  of  the  Great  Frederick  —  The 
Emperor  Joseph  II. —  Prince  Kaunitz     ....       31 

CHAPTER  VI.     MYSTERIES,  1803 

Return  to  Town  —  The  Seer  — A  Trap  Set  — An  Even- 
ing at  the  French  Theatre,  Warsaw  —  Mysterious  Drive 

—  The   Soothsayer's   Den  —  Consultation  —  The    Black 
Curtain  Rises  —  An  Apparition  —  The  Supper  —  Key  to 
the  Riddle  —  Prince  Radziwill  —  An  Annoying  Mother- 
in-Law  —  Birth  of  an  Heir — Natoline    ....       43 

CHAPTER    VII.      THE    EMPEROR    ALEXANDER    AT    WIL- 
LANOW,  1805 

An  Unexpected  Guest  —  Prince  Adam  Czartoryski  — 
The  Dinner  —  Alexander's  Conversation  —  The  Visitors' 
Book 55 

part  tbe  Second 

THE   FRENCH   AT  WARSAW 
1806-1807 

CHAPTER  I.    THE  VANGUARD 

End  of  the  War  with  Prussia  —  Entry  of  a  French  Regi- 
ment into  Warsaw  —  M.  de  F 1  —  Murat  —  Ball 

Given  by  Prince  Poniatowski  —  Murat's  Plume      .         .       61 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  II.     NAPOLEON'S  ENTRY  INTO  WARSAW 

The  Triumvirate  —  The  Preparations  —  Secret  Arrival  of 

the  Emperor  —  The  Official  Reception  ...       67 

CHAPTER  III.     FIRST  HOSTILITIES 

Prince  Borghese  —  The  Sick  Child — Devotion  of  M.  de 

F 1  —  Savary's   Idea — Pultusk  —  Reception   at  the 

Palace — Presentation  to  the  Emperor     .         .         .  71 

CHAPTER  IV.     GALLANTRIES 

Ball  at  M.  de  Talleyrand's  —  The  Glass  of  Lemonade  — 
An  Imperial  Quadrille  —  Madame  Walewska  —  The  Key 
to  Prince  Murat's  Apartment  .....  78 

CHAPTER  V.     THE  EMPEROR'S  GAME  OF  WHIST 

More  Balls  —  The   Parade  —  The  Emperor's  Orchestra 

—  The  Dutch  Deputation  —  The  Stake  at  Cards  —  The 
Heir  Presumptive  of  Bavaria  —  The  "  Count   of  Com- 
minges  " —  The  Princes  of  the  Blood  —  Murat's  Gascon 
Accent  —  His  Affected  Phrases 83 

CHAPTER  VI.     EYLAU 

The  Pink  Relic  —  Maret,  Duke  de  Bassano  —  The  Duke 
de  Dalberg  —  Birth  of  Nathalia  Potocka — Madame 
Walewska  at  Osterade  —  Josephine's  Shawl  —  Napoleon's 
Opinion  of  "  Corinne  " —  Battle  of  Eylau  —  The  Return 
of  the  French  —  Feat  of  Arms  by  Prince  Borghese  .  88 

CHAPTER  VII.     TILSIT 

Presentation  of  the  Colours  to  the  Three  Polish  Legions 

—  Prince  Poniatowski  —  Victory  of  Friedland  —  Count 
Stanislaus  Potocki  at  the  Interview  of  Tilsit  —  The  Tears 
of  the  Queen  of  Prussia  —  The  Royal   Banquet  —  The 
Duchy  of  Warsaw 95 

CHAPTER  VIII.     MARSHAL  DAVOUT 

Marshal  Davout,  Governor  of  Warsaw  —  His  Wife  — 
General  Ricard  —  Prince  Murat  and  His  Livery — De- 
parture of  M.  de  F 1  —  His  Letter — Death  of  Ma- 
dame de  Cracovie,  1808 99 


xii  CONTENTS 


part  tbc 

JOURNEY  TO   FRANCE   IN    1810 


PAGE 


CHAPTER    I.     PRELIMINARIES    OF    MARIE-LOUISE'S    MAR- 
RIAGE 

Death  of  the  Writer's  Father,  Count  Tyszkiewicz  —  De- 
parture for  Vienna  —  Viennese  Society  —  The  Prince  de 
Ligne  —  His  Marriage  —  Count  Charles  de  Damas  — 
Countess  Palffy  —  News  from  Paris  —  Recriminations  ol 
the  Viennese  Aristocracy  —  Arrival  of  Berthier  —  Letter 
from  Napoleon  to  the  Archduke  Charles  .  .  .109 

CHAPTER  II.     M.  DE  NARBONNE 

Marie-Louise's  Slipper — M.  de  Narbonne  at  the  Prince 
de  Ligne's  —  A  Mentor  —  Arrival  at  Munich  —  The 
Bath  —  Celadon  —  Lone  Journey  to  Strassburg  .  .  117 

CHAPTER  III.     CEREMONIAL  ENTRY  INTO  PARIS 

The  Countess  Tyszkiewicz  —  Disenchantment  —  Parisian 
Pleasantries  —  The  Procession  —  Picture  of  Marie-Louise 
—  The  Imperial  Guard  —  The  Pages  — The  Spirit  of  the 
Crowd  —  Presentation  to  Madame  de  So uza  .  .  .122 

CHAPTER  IV.    THE  COURT 

The  Emperor — Marie-Louise  —  Court  Paradoxes — 
Elisa  —  Pauline  Borghese  —  The  Queen  of  Naples  — 
The  Princess  de  Talleyrand  —  Countess  Tyszkiewicz's 
Circle 127 

CHAPTER  V.     THE  FESTIVITIES 

The  Princess  Borghese  at  Neuilly  —  The  Castle  of 
Schoenbrunn  —  Marie-Louise's  Emotion  —  The  Ball  at 
the  Austrian  Embassy 132 

CHAPTER  VI.     SOCIETY 

At  Denon's  —  The  Mummy's  Foot  —  The  Viscountess  de 
Laval's  Circle  —  Petrarch  and  Laura  —  A  Dinner  at  M. 
de  Talleyrand's  —  The  Duke  de  Laval  —  The  Davouts 


CONTENTS  xiii 

PAGE 

at  Savigny  —  The  Marshal's  Partridges  —  M.  de  F 1 

—  Luncheon  with  Madame  de  Souza  —  Labedoyere — 
The  Duchess  of  Courland  —  Talleyrand  and  His  Seraglio     138 

CHAPTER  VII.     ROUND  ABOUT  PARIS 

The  Countess  Mniszech  —  The  Panorama  Arcade  —  The 
Queen  of  Poland  —  Visits  to  the  Painter's  Studios  — 
The  Abbe  Morellet  —  Mademoiselle  Lenormand — Ma- 
dame de  Souza  and  the  Little  Sorceress  —  The  Pythoness 

—  An  Eventful  Youth  —  Prophecy  of  the  Birth  of  Count 
Maurice  Potocki .         .149 

CHAPTER  VIII.     MALMAISON  —  THE  AVOWAL 

Josephine  —  Napoleon's  Bedchamber —  Josephine's  Taste 

—  The   Picture   Gallery  —  The  Gardens  and  the   Hot- 
houses —  The  Emperor's  Invitation  —  Conversation  with 
the  Emperor  —  Note  from  Charles  de  F 1  —  Explana- 
tion—  An  Officer's  Romance 158 

CHAPTER  IX.     THE  DINNER  AT  SAINT-CLOUD 

Invitation  to  Saint-Cloud — Madame  de  Montebello  — 
Marie-Louise  —  Drive  in  the  Park  —  The  Emperor's 
Bill  of  Fare  —  Prince  Eugene  —  The  King  of  Holland's 
Abdication — Marie-Louise  Coaxes  her  Husband  —  Ru- 
mours of  War  with  Russia  —  Talma  —  Luncheon  at  M. 
de  Talleyrand's  —  Farewell  to  Charles  de  F 1  —  De- 
parture   168 


part  tbe  jfourtb 

THE  GRAND  DUCHY  OF  WARSAW 

CHAPTER  I.     BIGNON,  1811-1812 

Birth  of  Count  Maurice  Potocki  —  The  Court  of  Fred- 
eric Augustus  —  M.  de  Serra  —  Prince  Joseph  Ponia- 
towski  —  Birth  of  the  King  of  Rome  —  Enthusiasm  of 
the  Poles  —  Prince  Poniatowski  Goes  to  Paris  —  Pauline 
Borghese — M.  Bignon 181 


xiv  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  II.     PRELIMINARIES  TO  THE  RUSSIAN  CAMPAIGN, 
1812 

Declaration  of  War  —  The  Polish  Army —  Napoleon  and 
Francis  at  Dresden  —  Marie-Louise  and  Beatrice  d'Este 

—  The  Confederate  Diet  —  The  Archbishop  of  Malines 

—  The  Duke  de  Broglie  —  M.  d' Andre  —  The  Ambassa- 
dor's Avarice  —  Prince  Czartoryski,  Marshal  of  the  Diet 

—  Matuszewicz  —  Prince   Adam  —  Prince    Czartoryski's 
Speech  —  The  Cockades         ......     187 

CHAPTER  III.     DE  PRADT,  1812 

Smolensk  —  Death  of  Count  Grabowski  —  The  French 
Embassy  —  The  King  of  Westphalia  at  Warsaw  —  Ma- 
dame Walewska  at  de  Pradt's  —  Dinner  in  the  Country 

—  The    Gnats — M.    de   Brevannes'    Impromptu  —  The 
Ambassador's  Present 195 

CHAPTER  IV.     THE  RETREAT,  1812-1813 

First  News  of  the  Disasters  —  Arrival  of  Napoleon  at 
Warsaw  —  The  Dinner  at  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre  —  Ma- 
dame Walewska  —  Colonel  Wonsowicz's  Story  —  Return 
of  the  Troops  —  Prince  Poniatowski  —  Mojaisk  —  The 
Eagles  —  The  Cuckoo  —  Patriotic  Enthusiasm  —  Prince 
Poniatowski's  Farewell  and  Departure  —  His  Will  .  .  203 

CHAPTER  V.     DEATH  OF  PRINCE  PONIATOWSKI,  1813 

Prince  Adam  Czartoryski  and  Alexander  —  The  Em- 
peror of  Russia's  Proposals  to  Poniatowski  —  Prince 
Antony  Radziwill  —  Prince  Poniatowski's  Attitude  — 
His  Interview  with  Napoleon  at  Dresden  —  The  Cam- 
paign in  Saxony — Prince  Sulkowski — General  Dom- 
browski  —  The  Poles  in  Elba  —  Krasinski  —  Prince 
Poniatowski's  Funeral 214 

part  tbe  ff  iftb 

THE   RUSSIANS  AT  WARSAW 

CHAPTER  I.     KOSCIUSZKO  AND  ALEXANDER,  1815 

Correspondence  Between  Alexander  and  Kosciuszko  in 
1814  —  The  Burial  Mound  —  The  Ministerial  Council  — 
Novosiltzoff —  M.  de  Lanckoy's  Chibouque  .  .  .  225 


CONTENTS  XV 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  II.     THE  CONGRESS  OF  VIENNA,  1815 

Prince  Czartoryski  at  the  Congress  —  Correspondence 
with  Lords  Gray  and  Holland  —  The  Prince  de  Metter- 
nich  —  The  Prince  de  Talleyrand  —  Lord  Castlereagh 

—  The  Congress  Dances — Monarchs  and  Mistresses  — 
The   Tournament  —  News    of    Napoleon's    Landing  — 
Long  Live  the  King  of  Poland !  —  The  New  Constitution     230 

CHAPTER  III.     THE   EMPEROR   ALEXANDER   AT  WARSAW, 
1815 

The  Emperor's  Arrival  —  The  Ball  in  the  Assembly- 
Rooms  —  The  Grand  Duke  Constantine  —  Russian  Dis- 
cipline —  Composition  of  the  New  Ministry  —  Prince 
Adam  Czartoryski  —  General  and  Madame  Za'ionczek  — 
The  Grand  Duke's  Mistress  —  Constantine's  Revenge  .  237 

CHAPTER  IV.     MARRIAGE  OF  THE  GRAND  DUKE  CONSTAN- 
TINE, 1820 

The  Diet  of  1818  —  The  Grand  Duke  Constantine's  Part 
'  —  Prince  Joseph  Poniatowski's  Statue  —  Joan  Grudzinska 

—  Madame   Fridrichs  —  The  Wedding  —  The  Piano  — 
Madame  Weiss  —  The  Duchess  of  Lowicz       .         .         .     245 

252 


LIST    OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Countess  Potocka,  author  of  the  "  Memoirs  "      .         .  Frontispiece 

From  an  engraving  of  the  portrait  by  Angelica  Kaujfmann 
A  Page  in  Facsimile  (reduced)  of  the  Original  Manuscript  of  the 
"  Memoirs  "..........       vii 

Polish  Coins          ........          xvii  and  xx 

FACING  PAGE 

Europe,  showing  Original  Extent  of  Poland  and  its  Partitions       .         r 
Stanislaus  Augustus  Poniatowski,  last  King  of  Poland  ...         4 

From  an  engraving  by  Leney 
Kosciuszko    ...........         6 

After  a  print  engraved  in  1829  by  A.  Oleszczynski 
The  Massacre  of  Praga 8 

From  a  German  engraving 
Cracow,  the  Capital  of  the  Polish  Republic  .         .         .         .12 

From  an  engraving  by  Outhwaite  of  a  drawing  by  Glowacki 
Palace  of  the  Kings  of  Poland 12 

From  an  etching 
Louis  XVIII 14 

From  an  engraving  by  Holl  of  Isabey's  portrait 

Stanislaus  C.  Poniatowski,  Commander  of  the  forces  of  Charles  XII. 
of  Sweden          ..........       22 

From  an  engraving  by  Hopwood  of  a  drawing  by  Peszka 


xviii  LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Count  Levin  A.  T.  Beningsen 28 

(A  leader  in  the  murder  of  the  Czar  Paul  in  1801) 

Countess  Sophie  Zamoyska  ........       36 

From  an  engraving  by  Hopwood  after  Isabey 
Joseph  II.,  Emperor  of  Germany  .......       40 

From  an  old  engraving 
Prince  Wenzel  Anton  von  Kaunitz        ......       42 

The  Grand  National  Theatre  at  Warsaw 46 

Engraved  by  Pilinski  after  Cofazzi 
The  Kopernik  House  in  Warsaw  visited  by  Napoleon  in  1807        .       46  • 

From  an  engraving  by  Pilinski  after  Mielcarzeivicz 
Emperor  Alexander  I.  of  Russia   .         .         .         .         .         .         .56 

From  an  engraving  of  1806,  by  Hopwood 
General  Kalkreuth 58 

From  an  old  engraving 
Napoleon's  Entry  into  Berlin         .......       62 

From  an  engraving  by  Derby  after  Raffet 
Marshal  Berthier  ..........       74 

From  an  engraving  by  Lignon  after  a  drawing  by  Vigneron 
M.  de  Talleyrand 76 

From  an  engraving  by  Mote  after  Gerard 's  portrait 
Carl  Theodor,  Duke  de  Dalberg  ......       90 

From  a  German  engraving 
Prince  Joseph  Poniatowski    ........       92 

From  a  steel  engraving  by  Allais 
Battle  of  Eylau,  February  7,  1807         ......       94 

From  an  engraving  by  Skelton  of  the  painting  by  Simeon  Fort 
Napoleon  and  Alexander  of  Russia  Meeting  on  the  Niemen  at  Tilsit       96 

From  engravings  by  Couchefils 
Napoleon  Receiving  the  Queen  of  Prussia  at  Tilsit        ...       98 

From  an  engraving  by  Danois  of  the  painting  by  Gosse 
General  Ricard     ..........     100 

From  an  engraving  by  Forestier 
The  King  and  Queen  of  Prussia 102 

From  a  rare  print 
Prince  de  Ligne   .         . no 

From  an  engraving  by  Cazenave 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS  xix 

FACING  PAGB 

Marie  Louise,  Archduchess  of  Austria,  Empress  of  France  .  .114 
From  an  engraving  ofi  8 1  o  by  Cardan  of  the  portrait  by  Guerard 

Archduke  Charles  of  Austria         .         .         .         .         .         .         .116 

From  an  engraving  by  Heath  0/1810 

Marriage  of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  .  .  .  .  .118 
From  an  engraving  by  Massard  of  Rougefs  painting 

Arrival  of  Napoleon  and  Marie  Louise  at  Compiegne    .         .  1 24 

From  an  engraving  by  Nargeot  after  Mme.  Atizon's  painting 

Marquise  de  Souza-Botelho,  the  Novelist       .         .         .         .         .127 

From  an  engraving  by  Massard  after  Staal 
The  Tuileries 128 

From  an  engraving  of  1818  by  Couche'fils 

The  Palace  of  the  Tuileries 128 

From  an  engraving  by  Floyd  after  A  Horn 

Hortense,  Queen  of  Holland         .......     130 

From  an  engraving  by  Regnault  of  the  portrait  by  herself 

Prince  Schwarzenberg  .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .136 

From  an  engraving  by  Lignon  after  a  drawing  by  Vigneron 

Mme.  Regnault  de  St.  Jean  D'Angely  ......     142 

From  a  lithograph  of  a  drawing  by  Champagne 

M.  Labedoyere 148 

From  a  rare  print 
L'Abbe  Andre  Morellet 154 

From  an  engraving  by  Massol  of  the  portrait 

Mile.  Lenormand,  the  Soothsayer          .         .         .         .         .         .156 

From  a  lithograph  of  the  drawing  by  Champagne 

Napoleon  at  Malmaison        .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .160 

From  an  engraving  by  Skelton 

The  Palace  of  Saint-Cloud    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .170 

From  an  engraving  by  Adlard  of  the  picture  by  A  Horn 

Frederick  Augustus,  King  of  Saxony  .         .         .         .         .         .184 

From  an  engraving  by  Mechel  of  Graff1  s  painting  in  1790 

M.  de  Pradt          ..........     192 

From  a  very  scarce  engraving 

The  Taking  of  Smolensk      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .198 

From  an  engraving  by  Couche'fils 


XX 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING   PAGE 
206 


The  Retreat  from  Russia      ....... 

After  the  painting  by  Yvon 
General  Jean  Henri  Dombrowski  ......     220 

From  an  engraving  by  Hopwood  of  the  portrait  by  Stachowitz 
Count  Pac    ...........     222 

From  an  engraving  by  Falcke 
A  Polish  Cathedral  of  1800— Church  of  St.  Stanislaus  at  Malatycze     230 

From  an  engraving  by  Le  Petit  of  a  drawing  by  Gucewicz 
The  Congress  of  Vienna       ........     234 

After  the  painting  by  Isabey 
Grand  Duke  Constantine  of  Russia       ......     248 

From  an  engraving  by  Lignon  after  a  drawing  by  Vigneron 


PREFACE 


A  WORD  of  help  to  those  among  the  public  for  the  first  time 
plunged  into  this  sensation  of  Polish  surnames,  this  buzz  of 
yska's  and  owski's  and  wicz's.  Turn,  groping  reader,  to  the 
genealogical  table  at  the  end  of  this  volume.  Heading  the 
brave  lineage  of  our  Countess  Potocka  you  see  the  name  of 
Stanislaus  C.  Poniatowski.  From  the  loins  of  that  great 
warrior,  in  the  language  of  Voltaire  "the  indefatigable 
agent  of  the  King  of  Sweden"  (the  pertinacious  and  ascetic 
Charles  XII. ) ,  came  five  male  and  two  female  children,  that 
is  to  say,  five  bearing  the  name  Poniatowski  and  two  with 
the  cognomen  Poniatowska.  His  oldest  son,  Casimir,  was 
father  to  Constance,  who  was  married  to  Count  Louis 
Tyskiewicz,  and  this  couple  brought  into  the  world  the  au- 
thoress of  the  present  "Memoirs."  Anna,  the  said  writer, 
was  to  have  been  given  in  marriage  to  her  uncle,  Prince 
Stanislaus  Poniatowski,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  she  con- 
ferred her  hand  upon  Count  Potocki  (pronounce :  Pototski), 
so  becoming  Countess  Potocka  (pronounce:  Pototska). 
They  had  three  children,  Augustus,  Nathalia  and  Maurice, 
all  born  at  Warsaw  during  the  course  of  the  countess'  bio- 
graphical narrative.  This  is  composed  of  intermittent  sec- 
tions, indited,  as  journeys  and  court  balls  and  Napoleon  and 
acconchements  might  allow,  between  1812  and  1820,  but 
describes  events  as  far  back  as  1794.  Thus  the  "Memoirs" 
date  from  the  Third  Partition  of  Poland  to  the  incorporation 
of  what  was  left  of  that  country  with  the  Russian  Empire, 


xxii  PREFACE 

whose  Tsar,  Alexander  I.,  impertinently  invented  himself 
"King  of  Poland"  while  astutely  pleasing  the  fiery  Polacks 
with  a  toy  "Constitution." 

Poniatowski — the  companion-in-arms  to  the  royal  Swede 
of  the  stiff  chin  and  ready  sword — counted  among  his  issue 
Stanislaus  Augustus,  the  last  king  of  Polish  nationality.  It 
is  this  granduncle  of  the  authoress  whose  amiable  incapacity 
to  govern  she  truthfully  avows  in  her  opening  chapter.  In 
the  same  chapter  a  sister  of  this  king,  Isabel  Poniatowska, 
afterwards  Countess  Branicka,  is  referred  to  as  "Madame 
de  Cracovie"  by  her  candid  and  accomplished  grandniece. 
Other  aunts  conspicuous  in  the  Countess  Potocka's  compli- 
cated family  history  are  Ursula,  Countess  Mniszech,  nick- 
named "Countess  Medal,"  and  Maria  Theresa,  wedded  to 
Count  Tyskiewicz  (see  chapters  Three  and  Four  of  the  Third 
Part).  Both  were  granddaughters  of  the  aforesaid  Stanis- 
laus C.  Poniatowski.  One  of  his  grandsons,  Prince  Joseph 
Poniatowski,  who  took  part  in  Napoleon's  Russian  cam- 
paign, as  Marshal  of  France  commanded  the  Polish  legion 
at  Leipsic,  where  he  was  drowned  in  the  miserable  little 
Elster. 

The  Countess  Potocka,  we  see,  was  great  granddaughter 
to  Stanislaus  C.  and  niece  to  Joseph  Poniatowski.  She  was 
born  as  Anna  Tyskiewicz,  was  married  firs't  to  Count  Alex- 
ander Potocki,  to  whom  she  bore  three  children  and,  upon 
his  death,  to  Colonel  Wonsowicz — briefly  mentioned  in  her 
account  of  Napoleon's  return  to  Warsaw  from  Moscow. 
At  the  age  of  ninety-one  the  countess  died  in  Paris,  where 
her  brilliant  salon  held  no  insignificant  place  in  the  gilded 
pleasures  of  the  Second  Empire.  Thirty  years  after  the 
countess'  death  Casimir  Stryienski,  also  a  Pole,  with  the 
consent  of  her  daughter  Nathalia  arranged  the  "Memoirs" 
for  publication. 

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PART  THE  FIRST 
YOUNG  MEMORIES 


CHAPTER   I 

THE    CASTLE    OF    BIALYSTOK 
1794 

THE  MARGRAVINE  OF  BAIREUTH — THE  MARGRAVE  OF  BAI- 
REUTH THE  LAST  KING  OF  POLAND BIALYSTOK MA- 
DAME DE  CRACOVIE APRIL  1 8,  1794 — THE  LADIES  IN 

KOSCIUSZKO'S  CAMP — MASSACRE  OF  PRAGA,  NOVEMBER  4, 
1794. 

IT  was  in  the  year  1812.  I  had  lately  been  reading  the 
Margravine  of  Baireuth's  curious  memoirs,  whose  pub- 
lication, according  to  Napoleon,  was  the  equivalent  of  a 
second  battle  of  Jena  to  the  house  of  Brandenburg,  such 
pettiness  and  such  turpitude  did  they  disclose. 

I  was  very  young  then,  and  a  desire  seized  me  to  write 
down  my  memories  and  impressions  as  I  advanced  in  age. 
At  that  time  memoirs  were  not  manufactured  by  the  dozen. 
People  wrote — with  more  or  less  honesty — their  own.  It 
seemed  to  me — this  I  can  say  without  boasting — that  I  was 
able  to  bring  more  interesting  facts  together  than  those 
which  built  the  good  Margravine's  fame,  and  so  I  set  to 
work. 

Not  every  one  can  be  the  sister  of  a  great  man.  That 
sometimes  disturbed  me.  I  knew  very  well  that  it  was 


4  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

Frederick  II.  who  was  sought  for  under  a  heap  of  coarse 
anecdotes. 

Although  issued  from  royal  blood,  I  had  never  had  my 
ears  boxed,  to  speak  in  Margravian  terms;  I  had  never 
found  hairs  in  my  soup,  and  I  had  never  been  put  under  lock 
and  key.  Instead  of  a  wretchedly  meagre  principality,  we 
inhabited  one  of  the  finest  castles  on  the  continent,  a  fact 
which  is  neither  as  novel  nor  as  spicy  as  those  which  the 
Margravine  tells  us  about  her  place  of  abode.  But,  living 
in  the  Grand  Century,  I  founded  my  "hopes  on  the  interest 
attaching  to  those  glorious  days. 

To  write  one's  memoirs  without  mentioning  one's  self 
seems  scarcely  possible  to  me;  if  one  wants  to  inspire  con- 
fidence, ought  one  not  to  begin  by  introducing  one's  self? 

My  father  was  Count  Louis  Tyszkiewicz.  My  mother 
was  a  niece  of  the  last  of  our  kings,  Stanislaus  Augustus 
Poniatowski.  This  monarch's  noble  visage,  his  dignified 
manner,  his  gentle  and  melancholy  gaze,  his  silvery  hair, 
and  his  beautiful,  slightly  perfumed  hand — all  this  is  still 
present  to  my  memory.  The  time  to  which  these  recollec- 
tions belong  is  that  of  our  last  misfortunes. 

My  mother  followed  the  king  to  Grodno,  whither,  upon 
the  Third  Partition,  the  Russian  faction  had  compelled  him 
to  go.  There,  from  a  tiny  chamber  in  which  I  had  been 
lodged  with  my  governess,  I  saw  the  royal  train  of  slaves 
every  morning.  The  Russian  guards,  with  their  flat,  sallow 
faces,  whom  the  knout  turns  into  moving  machines,  fright- 
ened my  juvenile  fancy  to  such  a  degree  that  all  my  father's 
authority  was  needed  to  make  me  cross  the  threshold  of 
the  door,  and  never  without  resistance  and  tears,  at  that. 

Dismal  silence  reigned  in  the  castle  where  the  family  had 
gathered  to  say  a  last  farewell  to  the  unfortunate,  whom, 
after  having  crowned,  Catherine  had  burdened  with  chains. 
Carried  off  to  St.  Petersburg,  he  there  expiated  the  errors 


. 


STANISLAUS  AUGUSTUS  PONIATOWSKI, 
Last  King  of  Poland. 

From  an  engraving  by  Leney. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  5 

he  had  committed  at  the  empress'  prompting,  which  she  had 
exploited  with  a  Machiavellian  astuteness  that  has  few  par- 
allels in  history. 

Under  other  circumstances  Poniatowski  might  have  oc- 
cupied his  throne  worthily.  His  reign  was  epoch-making 
in  the  annals  of  science.  He  revived  the  taste  for  art  and 
letters  in  Poland,  which  the  rule  of  the  Saxon  electors, 
whose  brutishness  had  brought  a  fateful  reaction  upon  the 
country,  had  extinguished. 

When  Augustus  drank  Poland  ^vas  drunk! 

Stanislaus,  on  the  other  hand,  took  pleasure  only  in  noble 
and  useful  occupations.  His  leisure  hours  were  in  large 
part  devoted  to  men  of  science  and  to  artists.  In  addition  to 
a  sound  and  varied  education,  he  possessed  a  delightful  mind 
and  exquisite  taste.  Speaking  the  dead  languages,  as  well 
as  the  languages  of  the  countries  in  which  he  had  travelled, 
with  fluency,  he  had  in  him  the  capacity  to  a  high  degree 
of  captivating  his  audience,  and  the  art  of  addressing  words 
to  his  hearers  which  would  most  flatter  the  national  pride  or 
personal  vanity  of  each  one  of  them.  He  had  a  large,  gen- 
erous heart ;  he  forgave  without  reserve,  and  his  beneficence 
often  went  a  little  too  far.  But  nature,  so  prodigal  to  the 
man,  had  refused  the  monarch  the  only  things  which  make 
a  ruler :  strength  and  will. 

When  the  king  had  gone  we  returned  to  Bialystok — it  was 
there  that  my  aunt  lived,  Madame  de  Cracovie.  She  was 
the  widow  of  Count  Branicki,  Governor  of  the  Castle  of 
Cracow,  and  sister  to  King  Stanislaus  Augustus  Ponia- 
towski. Her  husband  had  played  an  important  part  at  the 
Confederation  of  Bar,  and  in  1 764  he  was  entered  on  the  list 
of  claimants  to  the  throne.  But  his  brother-in-law's  party 
showing  itself  the  stronger,  he  retired  to  his  estates,  where 
he  lived  as  king. 

I  saw  the  Castle  of  Bialystok  when  it  was  still  fitted  out 


6  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

with  rare  splendour.  French  upholsterers,  brought  there  at 
great  expense,  had  purveyed  furniture,  mirrors  and  panel- 
lings worthy  of  the  Palace  of  Versailles.  Nothing  could 
surpass  the  magnificent  proportions  of  the  saloons  and  ves- 
tibules, adorned  with  marble  columns.  The  castle  had  seen 
the  passage  of  all  that  Poland  had  to  show  in  the  way  of 
great  lords  and  the  most  eminent  travellers.  The  Emperor 
Paul,  when  still  grand  duke,  and  his  wife  had  stopped 
there  a  few  days  while  undertaking  the  memorable  journey 
that  all  Europe  talked  about.  The  arrangement  of  the  gar- 
dens and  parks,  the  wealth  of  the  different  hothouses,  the 
beauty  and  profusion  of  the  orange  trees — all  these  things 
made  this  place  a  right  royal  abode.  In  the  lifetime  of  M. 
de  Cracovie,  two  theatrical  troupes,  French  and  Polish,  as 
well  as  a  company  of  dancers,  maintained  at  his  expense, 
shortened  the  long  winter  evenings  by  a  variety  of  perfor- 
mances. The  theatre,  which  was  decorated  by  an  Italian 
artist,  could  hold  from  three  to  four  hundred  people.  This 
building,  entirely  separate  from  the  castle,  was  situated  at 
the  entrance  to  the  deer  park.  I  saw  it  in  fairly  good  con- 
dition. 

Such  was  then  the  mode  of  life  that  the  great  lords  of  the 
opposition  led  at  home.  In  my  day  nothing  was  left  but  the 
reminiscences  which  I  made  centenarian  servants  tell  me. 

Count  Branicki's  widow,  simple  and  quiet  in  her  tastes, 
though  noble  and  great  in  her  actions,  spent  as  large  sums  in 
charity  as  her  husband  squandered  on  festivities  and  amuse- 
ments of  all  kinds.  Sustaining  with  dignity  the  rank  as- 
signed her  by  birth  and  fortune,  she  secretly  diverted  from 
superfluity  the  liberal  relief  which  she  never  refused  indi- 
gence or  misfortune. 

No  one  on  this  earth  has  ever  given  better  hope  of  the 
possibility  of  perfection,  so  universally  disputed.  Pious 
without  bigotry,  good  without  weakness,  proud  and  gentle, 


KOSCIUSZKO. 
After  a  print  engraved  in  1829  by  A    Oleszczynskt. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  7 

decided  but  sensitive,  charitable  without  ostentation,  disin- 
terestedly generous,  she  possessed  all  of  those  qualities  that 
constitute  a  love  of  virtue.  Perhaps  she  would  not  have  been 
thought  clever  enough  by  some,  but  no  one  could  have  writ- 
ten more  gracefully,  expressed  herself  with  more  distinction, 
done  the  honours  of  the  house  more  grandly,  and  bestowed 
more  active  kindness  on  all  her  surroundings. 

My  children,  when  you  shall  pass  through  Bialystok  I  ask 
a  thought  of  her  and  a  recollection  of  myself.  There  my 
marriage  was  decided  upon,  and  there  I  saw  death  for  the 
first  time!  My  mother  hardly  ever  left  that  beloved  aunt 
and  I  was  brought  up  under  her  eyes.  We  spent  the  winters 
at  Warsaw,  and  in  the  summer  we  returned  to  the  beautiful 
residence  I  have  been  describing;  but  dating  from  the  day 
when  the  king  was  dragged  to  St.  Petersburg,  his  sister  es- 
tablished herself  in  the  country  and  never  left  her  castle 
again.  So  the  winter  of  1794  was  the  last  we  spent  in  town. 

I  perfectly  remember  the  revolution  which  put  an  end  to 
our  political  existence.  By  common  accord  the  command 
was  conferred  upon  Kosciuszko,  who  ardently  defended  the 
holiest  of  causes. 

On  April  eighteenth  we  were  awakened  by  cannon  shots 
and  a  sharp  fusillade.  My  father  being  absent,  and  the  ser- 
vants having  at  once  rushed  to  arms  without  troubling  about 
our  safety,  a  female  council  had  to  be  called,  who  decided 
that  the  safest  course  to  pursue  was  to  hide  in  the  cellars. 
We  passed  the  morning  there  without  any  news  of  what  was 
happening.  Towards  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
fusillading  having  ceased  in  our  region,  the  king  sent  us 
word  to  try  to  reach  the  castle,  where  he  resided.  We  found 
neither  coachmen  nor  lackeys,  and  anyhow  a  carriage  would 
have  moved  with  difficulty  through  streets  encumbered  with 
corpses.  We  were  obliged  to  walk  across  the  whole  suburb 
of  Cracow,  where  the  fighting  had  been  going  on  for  several 


8  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

hours.  The  sight  of  this  battlefield,  where  the  Russians  lay 
strewn  about  by  the  hundred,  froze  me  with  horror!  But 
that  was  the  only  painful  impression  I  felt:  the  spent  balls 
that  whistled  above  our  heads  did  not  disturb  me  in  the  least. 

From  that  day  until  the  massacre  of  Praga  we  never  left 
the  castle,  the  town  being  in  a  perpetual  ferment.  All  that 
occurred  in  this  interval  has  completely  faded  from  my 
memory.  I  only  recollect  vaguely  having  accompanied  my 
mother  to  Kosciuszko's  camp,  where  five  ladies,  their  little 
caps  on  their  ears,  were  drawing  wheelbarrows  full  of  earth 
to  be  used  for  the  erection  of  the  ramparts.  I  envied  their 
lot,  and  my  childish  heart  already  throbbed  at  the  tales  of 
our  victories. 

Morning  and  evening  a  nurse  made  me  pray  piously  to 
God  to  bless  our  arms.  I  entered  with  all  my  heart  into 
what  she  told  me  to  do,  only  I  did  not  exactly  understand 
what  was  happening,  and  why  one  was  supposed  to  be  so 
cross  with  those  handsome  Russian  officers,  whom  I  had 
more  than  once  watched  with  pleasure  caracoling  on  beauti- 
ful horses.  The  massacre  of  Praga  taught  me,  and  very 
early  my  heart  was  opened  to  sentiments  which  I  have  trans- 
mitted to  my  children.  Nine  thousand  defenceless  people 
were  slaughtered  in  one  night,  with  no  other  refuge  nor 
tomb  but  their  own  dwellings  reduced  to  ashes !  The  king's 
castle  being  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  Vistula,  which-was 
all  that  separated  us  from  the  suburb  of  Praga,  we  distinctly 
heard  the  groans  of  the  victims  and  the  hurrahs  of  the 
butchers.  It  was  even  possible  to  distinguish  the  shrieks 
and  the  laments  of  the  women  and  children,  and  the  howls 
and  imprecations  of  the  fathers  and  husbands  who  were  dy- 
ing in  defence  of  the  dearest  that  man  has.  Profound 
darkness  added  to  the  horror  of  the  scene.  Against  whirl- 
winds of  fire  exhaling  a  whitish  smoke  stood  out  infernal 
silhouettes  of  Cossacks,  who,  like  devilish  phantoms,  tore 


a;     S 
'•J     •* 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  9 

hither  and  thither  on  horseback,  their  lances  poised,  with 
awful  hisses  urging  themselves  on  in  their  murderous  work. 
Several  hours  passed  in  this  way,  after  which  nothing  was 
to  be  heard  but  the  noise  of  posts  and  beams  falling  in.  No 
more  screams  nor  wailing;  no  more  clash  of  arms  nor  stamp 
of  horses.  The  silence  of  death  reigned  over  the  suburb  of 
Cracow — and  the  name  of  Souwaroff  was  dedicated  to  exe- 
cration ! 


CHAPTER   II 

THE    "EMIGRANTS"    AND    LOUIS    XVIII 

1798 

THE  BASSOMPIERRES  AT  BIALYSTOK — THE  COUNT — A  SO- 
CIETY POET MADEMOISELLE  DE  RIGNY GLORIOUS  MEM- 
ORIES  ARRIVAL  OF  LOUIS  XVIII. THE  DISAPPOINTMENT 

OF     THE     BASSOMPIERRES MARRIAGE     PLANS     FOR     THE 

DUKE    DE    BERRY    AND    ANNA    TYSZKIEWICZ A    FEMALE 

ADMIRER      OF      BONAPARTE COUNT      TYSZKIEWICZ HIS 

NOBLE  AND  PATRIOTIC   CONDUCT CATHERINE'S  ANGER. 

OUR  revolution  had  followed  closely  upon  the  revolution  in 
France;  but,  surrounded  by  three  powerful  enemies,  it  was 
our  misfortune  to  succumb,  and  the  most  generous  efforts, 
the  most  praiseworthy  devotion,  ended  only  in  the  total  dis- 
memberment of  our  country.  It  was  not  so  with  France, 
now  marching  with  a  firm  step  on  to  fame.  A  single  point 
of  comparison  holds  good :  each  country  had  its  immigration. 
In  France,  the  nobles,  the  royalists,  the  clergy.  With  us, 
the  patriots,  the  victims,  the  exiles.  France  had  her  Ven- 
dee, and  we  our  Legions !  Less  fortunate  in  every  way,  we 
were  condemned  to  go  to  shed  our  blood  in  another  hemi- 
sphere. 

At  the  end  of  the  last  century  Poland  was  overrun  with 

10 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  u 

French  "emigrants,"  who  mostly  claimed  to  be  of  grand 
descent,  and  eagerly  accepted  the  hospitality  offered  them, 
as  if  they  were  conferring  a  favour.  Madame  de  Cracovie 
had  the  whole  Bassompierre  family.  First  one  had  come, 
then  two,  then  three,  and  finally  the  whole  line,  maternal  and 
sempiternal. 

There  seemed  no  intention  of  making  a  fuss  over  the  head 
of  the  family ;  however,  as  soon  as  the  occasion  arose  he  was 
besieged  with  the  title  of  marquis.  Next  came  the  count, 
about  fifty  years  old,  husband  to  a  young  and  rather  pretty 
woman,  whom  he  had  married  at  this  time  of  general  topsy- 
turviness.  Under  any  other  circumstances  Mademoiselle 
de  Rigny  (according  to  her  intimates)  could  never  have 
aspired  to  such  a  brilliant  position !  The  count,  short,  puny, 
with  well  powdered  porcupine  hair,  and  the  conventional 
pigtail  as  a  butt  for  jokes,  was  not  a  highly  agreeable  person- 
age. He  had  a  large  pointed  nose,  a  sombre  eye,  and  a 
pursed  up  mouth.  He  was  supposed  to  be  a  wit.  He 
quoted  dates  with  felicity,  and  made  little  verses,  passably 
well  turned.  Whenever  a  play  was  to  be  improvised,  a  cele- 
bration to  be  held,  a  surprise  to  be  managed,  we  would  ask 
him  for  some  couplets.  He  always  had  to  be  besought,  and 
always  ended  by  giving  us  "his  children,"  cautioning  us 
not  to  murder  them.  Then  came  the  rehearsals ;  it  was  an 
important  affair!  We  had  to  lift  certain  happy  phrases, 
glide  along  a  rhyme,  lean  on  a  hemistich!  Rarely  did  the 
author  appear  satisfied;  he  was  mortally  tiresome. 

The  countess'  mother  preserved  remains  of  beauty,  and 
seemed  very  wide  awake.  It  was  by  no  means  proved  that 
she  had  not,  by  former  sacrifices,  paved  the  way  for  the 
splendid  position  of  her  daughter.  A  nephew  of  twenty- 
three,  who  might  have  worn  a  workman's  blouse,  and  a 
delightful  little  girl  named  Amelia  completed  the  family. 
At  first  they  would  only  accept  modest  accommodation,  and 


12  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

came  in  to  share  our  meals.  Later  on  they  found  the  apart- 
ment too  restricted,  and  discovered  that  it  was  not  sufficient 
to  dine — there  are  so  many  other  imperative  wants.  They 
therefore  resigned  themselves  to  the  very  secret  acceptance 
of  a  fairly  large  allowance.  After  a  few  months  they  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  own  a  regular  home:  it  is  so  charming 
to  be  at  home!  At  once  a  pretty  little  villa  was  given 
them,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  castle. 

A  new  establishment  requires  so  much  attention!  The 
count,  absorbed  by  political  interests,  could  or  would  not 
busy  himself  in  the  matter — the  countess  was  so  young! 
She  did  not  know  how  to  go  about  it;  and,  moreover, 
strangers  always  run  the  risk  of  being  cheated!  The 
mamma  thus  undertook  to  let  Madame  de  Cracovie  guess 
at  the  embarrassment  into  which  affluence  had  thrown  them. 
Directly  orders  went  forth,  and  the  cottage  was  put  into 
condition  to  receive  its  new  guests.  Nothing  was  wanting : 
the  rooms  were  refurnished  with  elegant  simplicity,  the 
sideboards  stocked,  the  pigeon-house  was  peopled,  the  gar- 
den raked,  the  footpaths  sanded;  even  the  coach-house  and 
the  stable  were  thought  of,  seeing  that  the  family  needed 
means  of  transportation  to  get  to  the  castle.  The  uncle 
was  too  old,  and  Amelia  too  young,  not  to  be  fatigued  by 
such  a  long  walk. 

So  many  benefactions  heaped  upon  a  foreign  family  ex- 
cited envy;  and  if  ever  such  a  sentiment  can  be  called 
excusable  this  was,  given  the  manner  in  which  said  kind- 
nesses were  received.  It  was  everlasting  comparisons  be- 
tween the  past  and  the  present,  uncivil  allusions,  or  indeli- 
cate regrets.  If  some  new  arrival  complimented  our 
"emigrants"  on  the  arrangements  of  their  little  villa,  which 
really  was  charming,  he  was  answered  by  a  deep  sigh,  by  a 
look  of  resignation,  by  some  irrelevant  phrase  which  meant, 
It  might  do  for  others,  but  for  us /  And  then  they 


CRACOW, 
The  Capital  of  the  Polish  Republic. 

From  an  engraving  by  Oiitliwaite  of  a  drawing  by  Glmvacki 


PALACE  OF  THE  KINGS  OF  POLAND. 

/•ViVK  an  etching. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  13 

talked  about  the  mansion  they  had  been  compelled  to  leave, 
of  the  delightful  and  gorgeous  existence  they  had  led  there ! 
From  there  to  Madame  Bassompierre,  and  the  friendship  that 
had  bound  the  great  king  and  that  great  man,  was  but  a 
step;  and  once  on  this  ground  there  was  no  more  enduring 
the  thing!  The  sighs  became  sobs,  and  the  allusions  be- 
came insults. 

An  annoying  episode  for  the  Bassompierres  was  the  visit 
of  Louis  XVIIL,  who  stopped  at  Bialystok  on  the  way  to 
Mittau,  where  the  Emperor  Paul  had  persuaded  him  to  set- 
tle. He  was  travelling  under  the  name  of  Count  de  Lille. 
The  apartment  reserved  for  sovereigns  had  been  prepared 
for  him.  We  installed  him  there  with  all  the  consideration 
due  to  his  birth  and  to  misfortune.  Madame  de  Cracovie 
went  as  far  as  the  waiting  room  to  meet  him.  He  appeared 
very  sensible  to  this  reception,  and  made  great  efforts  in 
amiability.  I  was  not  yet  of  an  age  to  judge  him,  but  he 
pleased  me,  for  he  looked  all  round  and  rosy.  His  attend- 
ance was  slim.  Dethroned  kings  have  few  courtiers.  Louis 
XVIII.  had  something  better  than  flatterers:  he  had  a  sin- 
cere and  devoted  friend,  Count  d'Avaray. 

We  were  highly  curious  to  see  what  greeting  he  would 
proffer  the  illustrious  exiled  family.  Alas!  It  was  one 
of  those  disappointments  from  which  it  is  hard  to  recover! 
The  king  did  not  know  them!  He  knew  the  marquis  no 
more  than  the  count,  the  young  countess  no  more  than  the 
old  mamma!  He  even  made  rather  light  of  these  props 
of  the  throne  whom  he  had  never  seen,  and  who  had  done 
nothing  to  hold  up  tottering  royalty.  M.  d'Avaray,  sur- 
prised at  the  airs  of  our  Bassompierres,  thought  himself 
compelled  to  tell  us  what  he  knew  about  them.  They  were, 
to  say  truth,  Bassompierres,  but  poor  and  degenerate,  hav- 
ing inherited  nothing  but  pride  of  their  family  traditions, 
among  which  those  mansions  took  a  place  of  which  they  so 


!4  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

incessantly  talked.  The  Revolution  had  enriched  them. 
They  had  never  owned  an  establishment  as  pleasant  as  that 
offered  them  by  a  generous  hospitality. 

These  explanations  in  nowise  changed  Madame  de  Cra- 
covie's  conduct;  she  continued  to  her  death  to  overload  her 
guests  with  kindness.  However,  the  young  countess  learnt 
a  lesson;  she  talked  less  of  Paris,  which  she  had  never  seen, 
and  abstained  from  unflattering  comparisons  between  the 
country  she  had  been  obliged  to  leave  and  that  in  which 
she  had  met  with  so  fine  a  reception.  Thenceforth  she  wore 
her  linen  without  venturing  to  complain  of  the  odour  of 
Polish  soap;  and,  as  the  king  had  pronounced  upon  the 
good  fare,  a  subject  on  which  he  was  very  impressionable, 
she  afterward  believed  herself  free  not  to  cut  grimaces  when 
eating  her  soup. 

Whether  it  was  the  outcome  of  a  passing  project,  or 
merely  to  make  himself  agreeable,  and  in  this  way  pay  for 
the  royal  reception  given  his  master,  I  know  not,  but  before 
leaving  Bialystok  Count  d'Avaray  proposed  to  my  mother 
to  marry  me  to  the  Duke  de  Berry.  Hardly  knowing  what 
to  reply,  my  mother  urged  my  extreme  youth,  engaging, 
however,  to  transmit  the  proposition  to  my  father,  who 
would  not  hear  of  it.  He  answered  my  mother  that  a 
prince  errant  always  looked  to  him  more  or  less  of  an  ad- 
venturer; that  there  was  no  probability  of  the  Bourbons 
ever  returning  to  France;  that,  moreover,  a  match  that  to- 
day might  perhaps  appear  desirable  to  them  owing  to  advan- 
tages of  fortune,  might  later  seem  impolitic  and  unequal; 
that  in  any  case,  having  but  one  daughter,  he  wished  to 
marry  her  to  a  Polish  nobleman. 

This  refusal,  modified  and  codified,  was  conveyed  to  M. 
d'Avaray,  who  was  even  more  astonished  than  shocked  at 
it.  I  only  learnt  of  this  singular  proposition  long  after- 
ward, and  I  have  often  thought,  in  the  course  of  the  remark- 


Louis  XVIII. 

Fio>n  an  engraving  by  H oil  of  I sabcy's  portrait. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  15 

able  events  unfolding  before  my  eyes,  what  a  strange  situ- 
ation I  should  have  found  myself  in.  Already  Bonaparte 
was  making  Europe  resound  with  the  echo  of  his  triumphs. 
Such  glory  and  fame  burnt  on  the  conqueror's  brow,  such 
good  fortune  crowned  his  enterprises,  that  I  seemed  to  see 
Alexander  or  Caesar  appear.  I  was  brought  up  in  the 
midst  of  the  great  man's  detractors,  but  my  admiration, 
often  suppressed  from  fear  of  giving  displeasure,  grew  none 
the  less  lively.  How  could  I  have  reconciled  sentiments  of 
such  a  character  with  a  lot  similar  to  that  which  had  been 
offered  me?  How  could  I  jump  for  joy  at  the  news  of 
Napoleon's  victories,  being  the  wife  of  a  Bourbon? 

Writing  chiefly  for  my  children,  it  is  my  duty  to  make 
them  acquainted  with  their  ancestor's  fine  character — my 
father's.  After  the  First  Partition  he  joined  the  ranks  of 
the  few  who  refused  to  sign  the  iniquitous  document  dic- 
tated to  the  abject  Targowica  Confederation  by  Russia. 
Consequent  upon  this  brave  opposition,  his  whole  fortune 
was  sequestered ;  my  father  submitted  silently  to  the  rigor- 
ous treatment  which  his  steadfastness  and  patriotism  had 
brought  upon  him. 

A  few  years  later  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Lithuania  sent  a 
delegation  to  St.  Petersburg,  in  order  to  have  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  old  penal  code,  the  Litewski  Statute,  granted  by 
Catherine.  The  deputation,  composed  of  the  richest  and 
most  distinguished  noblemen  of  the  country,  Catherine  re- 
ceived with  the  demonstrations  she  so  cleverly  lavished  on 
those  whom  she  wished  to  enlist  among  her  admirers.  Her 
court  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most  brilliant  in  Europe. 
Balls  and  festivities  followed  one  upon  the  other.  The 
Polish  deputies  found  themselves  invited  once  for  all  to 
these  splendid  receptions  by  the  gracious  sovereign,  and 
thought  themselves  obliged  to  respond  to  such  an  invita- 
tion. My  father  alone  confined  his  visits  to  the  court  to 


1 6  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

the  occasions  demanded  by  the  business  which  his  mission 
included.  The  empress,  surprised  and  offended  at  this  lack 
of  assiduity,  was  unable  to  withhold  the  mention  of  her 
displeasure  from  him,  and,  addressing  him  with  asperity, 
said  that  he  alone  evinced  no  curiosity  to  see  the  beauties 
that  adorned  her  parties.  Far  from  appearing  confused, 
my  father  made  a  low  obeisance,  as  if  he  had  taken  this 
rebuke  for  a  mark  of  favour,  and  replied  in  loud  and  firm 
tones  that,  considering  the  situation  his  country  was  in,  a 
Pole  could  hardly  dissemble  his  painful  reflections,  and, 
according  to  his  opinion,  sparkling  festivities  ought  never 
to  be  darkened  by  any  one  bringing  in  irrepressible  sadness. 
The  sly  Catherine,  at  once  forming  her  opinion  of  the  man 
who  had  ventured  to  answer  her  thus,  exclaimed  that  she 
admired  nothing  so  much  as  independent  and  elevated  sen- 
timents. She  added : 

"As  a  woman,  I  feel  misfortunes  which  the  severity  of 
politics  prevents  me  from  forestalling  as  a  sovereign." 

Just  as  she  was  withdrawing,  she  took  a  little  watch,  set 
with  emeralds,  from  her  belt  and  gave  it  to  my  father,  beg- 
ging him  to  accept  the  gift  as  a  special  token  of  the  esteem 
she  bore  him.  This  graceful  act  was  followed  by  the  can- 
celling of  the  sequestration  imposed  on  my  father's  property. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE   ASTROLOGER 
1802 

MADEMOISELLE    DUCHENE,    MADAME    DE    CRACOVIE's    COM- 
PANION  LIFE    AT    THE    CASTLE CHATEAUBRIAND    AND 

ROUSSEAU CHARLES   XII. THE  SWEDISH   ASTROLOGER 

HE    PREDICTS    STANISLAUS    AUGUSTUS    A    THRONE — THE 
GOOD   OLD   TIMES. 

OUR  house  contained  a  person  highly  remarkable  by  reason 
of  her  wit,  education,  and  prodigious  memory.  I  allude  to 
Mademoiselle  Duchene,  Madame  de  Cracovie's  companion. 
A  Parisian  by  birth,  she  had  originally  been  employed  by 
Madame  de  Tesse,  and  there  had  not  only  acquired  the  tone 
and  manners  of  good  society,  but  had  collected  a  quantity  of 
diverting  anecdotes.  She  was  one  of  those  privileged  peo- 
ple who  never  forget  anything,  no  more  what  they  have 
read  than  what  they  have  heard.  She  had  been  nicknamed 
the  "Perambulating  Encyclopaedia."  As  she  had  made  friends 
with  my  governess,  I  saw  a  great  deal  of  her,  and  in  a  great 
measure  I  owe  to  her  the  little  I  know.  Madame  de  Bas- 
sompierre,  whose  education  had  been  terribly  neglected,  was 
even  more  indebted  to  her  than  I.  Mademoiselle  Duchene 
devoted  herself,  heart  and  soul,  to  the  Bassompierre  family, 

17 


1 8  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

whose  habits,  language,  and  very  faults  put  her  back  into 
her  motherland,  so  to  speak. 

Brought  up  amidst  these  French  people,  I  instinctively 
caught  the  spirit  of  their  language,  and  of  my  own  choice 
pursued  their  literature.  I  was  immensely  fond  of  their 
partly  witty  and  futile,  partly  instructive  and  serious,  but 
ever  lively  conversation,  even  in  the  gravest  discussions  to 
which  politics  might  give  rise.  For  they  were  French  peo- 
ple of  the  old  school,  who,  in  fact,  made  merry  over  every- 
thing, and  took  the  lightest  view  of  life  they  could. 

The  life  we  led  was  most  independent.  We  saw  little  of 
each  other  except  during  the  mornings.  As  to  our  occu- 
pation, we  all  suited  ourselves.  Some  worked,  others 
played.  Madame  de  Cracovie  was  so  tolerant  that  no  one, 
not  even  a  relative,  was  obliged  to  attend  mass,  which  was 
said  every  morning  in  the  chapel. 

About  three  o'clock  the  dinner  bell  sounded.  That  was 
the  signal  for  our  general  meeting.  Every  evening,  ex- 
cepting in  midsummer,  there  was  a  reading  in  the  drawing- 
room  from  seven  to  nine.  Anybody  might  come,  on  con- 
dition, however,  of  observing  silence.  The  companion's 
duties  did  not  extend  beyond  this  brief  space  of  time,  which 
the  lady  of  the  manor  had  set  apart  to  inform  herself  as 
to  the  current  periodicals  and  literary  novelties.  Failing 
these,  the  classics  were  re-read.  It  was  in  this  way  that  I 
met  with  M.  de  Chateaubriand,  who  combined  the  classical 
traditions  and  modern  thought. 

The  "Genie  du  Christianisme"  had  just  been  published. 
There  are,  alas !  two  things  which  cannot  by  any  possibility 
be  reconciled :  morality  and  imagination.  I  warn  mothers, 
who  would  like  their  girls  to  read  this  religious  poetry,  of 
the  fact.  The  author  has  inserted  a  passage  from  "La 
Nouvelle  Heloise,"  one  in  which  Julie  complains  of  the  void 
the  heart  experiences  after  the  most  deceptive  emotions  of 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  19 

life  are  exhausted.  I  have  not  forgotten  the  effect  Rous- 
seau's harmonious  prose  had  upon  me.  I  stole  the  book 
to  look  up  that  passage  again,  and  it  put  me  into  a  melan- 
choly, dreamy  mood.  M.  de  Chateaubriand,  I  do  not  doubt, 
had  the  best  of  intentions ;  he  aimed  to  build  to  the  greater 
glory  of  God;  but,  I  repeat,  the  passage  is  dangerous  to 
girls  of  fifteen ;  it  produces  a  very  different  effect  from  that 
intended  by  the  author. 

The  reading  done,  the  doors  were  opened  to  all  comers. 
The  conversation  was  general.  The  old  told  stories,  and  the 
young  listened  attentively.  Madame  de  Cracovie,  oldest 
daughter  to  Poniatowski,  the  friend  and  associate  of  Charles 
XII.,  had  picked  up  some  interesting  anecdotes  from  her 
father  relative  to  the  Swedish  hero. 

Never  seemed  there  a  man  more  fitly  endowed  with  the 
qualities  proper  for  great  enterprises.  Combining  a  body 
of  iron  with  a  soul  of  fire,  nothing  could  astonish,  nothing 
stop  him.  He  did  not  believe  in  physical  obstacles,  and 
regarded  human  exigencies  and  weaknesses  as  childish 
chimeras  and  excuses  for  cowardice.  One  day  there  was 
no  more  food.  The  king,  who  always  rode  at  the  head  of 
his  army,  suddenly  jumped  to  the  ground,  and  tearing  up 
a  tuft  of  grass,  began  to  chew  it.  After  a  moment  of  silence 
he  said  to  his  faithful  comrade,  who  looked  at  him  in 
surprise : 

"I  was  attempting  the  conquest  of  the  world.  If  I  had 
succeeded  in  feeding  my  troops  after  this  fashion  I  feel  that, 
although  I  might  not  have  surpassed,  I  should  at  least  have 
equalled  Alexander  and  Caesar." 

He  feared  only  one  power  in  the  world,  the  power  of 
beauty;  only  a  handsome  woman  could  boast  of  making 
him  quail — she  put  him  to  flight.  He  said : 

"So  many  heroes  have  succumbed  to  the  attractions  of  a 
beautiful  face!  Did  not  Alexander,  my  pet,  burn  a  town 


20  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

to  please  a  ridiculous  courtesan?  I  want  my  life  to  be 
free  from  such  weakness;  history  must  not  find  such  a 
stain  upon  it." 

He  was  told,  one  day,  that  a  young  girl  had  come  to  sue 
for  justice  on  behalf  of  a  blind,  octogenarian  father,  mal- 
treated by  soldiers. 

The  first  inclination  of  the  king,  a  strict  disciplinarian, 
was  to  rush  straight  to  the  plaintiff,  to  hear  the  details  of 
the  misdemeanour  for  himself.  But,  suddenly  stopping, 
he  asked : 

"Is  she  good-looking?" 

And  being  assured  that  she  was  both  very  young  arid 
unusually  lovely,  he  sent  word  that  she  must  wear  a  veil, 
otherwise  he  would  not  listen  to  her. 

How  I  regret  not  having  thought  at  the  time  of  writing 
down  all  I  heard !  Now,  it  is  only  isolated  facts  that  pre- 
sent themselves  to  my  memory;  then,  it  was  the  story  of 
a  whole  life,  the  faithful  account  of  the  strangest  events, 
of  facts  little  known,  which  a  person  of  advanced  years  and 
rare  accuracy  transmitted,  still  throbbing,  to  an  attentive 
audience.  She  who,  so  to  speak,  put  us  in  touch  with  those 
distant  days,  had  the  tales  from  an  eye-witness,  and  re- 
counted them  with  such  a  simple  good  faith,  a  precision 
as  to  dates,  which  showed  that  she  would  never  have  taken 
the  liberty  to  alter  a  fact,  to  omit  or  add  an  incident — so 
dear  was  the  truth  to  her,  such  an  influence  had  her  fine 
integrity  even  upon  her  most  trifling  actions  and  upon  her 
mere  recreations  in  life. 

In  the  time  of  Charles  XII.  there  were  still  professional 
astrologers.  A  superstition  of  this  class  attaches  to  an  an- 
ecdote of  my  mother's  youth.  Sitting  at  my  mother's  feet, 
I  pressed  against  her  knees  with  a  slight  shiver,  a  commo- 
tion of  the  heart  difficult  to  suppress.  Whether  that  was 
childishness  or  credulity  matters  little.  To-day  I  do  not 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  21 

blush  at  it,  and  avow  my  complete  pleasure  in  being  fright- 
ened. Here  is  the  story  of  my  well-beloved  great-aunt's 
astrologer;  perhaps  it  may  meet  with  an  impressionable 
reader,  who  will  not  be  indifferent,  inasmuch  as,  I  repeat, 
there  is  no  fiction  in  it. 

At  the  death  of  Charles  XII.,  Poniatowski,  who  had  been 
tenderly  devoted  to  him,  returned  to  Poland.  A  little  later 
he  married  Princess  Constance  Czartoryska,  and  estab- 
lished himself  with  her  at  his  country  residence  of  Wolczyn. 
Raised  to  the  highest  dignity  of  the  land,  the  post  of  Gov- 
ernor of  the  Castle  of  Cracow,  which  his  son-in-law  inherited 
after  him,  he  lived/ honoured  by  his  neighbours  and  cher- 
ished by  his  family,  resting  after  a  stormy  career  and  the 
exalted  tasks  to  which  his  best  years  had  been  consecrated. 
He  was  already  the  father  of  four  children ;  at  the  moment 
when  the  singular  occurrence  happened  which  I  am  about 
to  relate,  the  fifth  was  being  expected.  The  excitement 
which  an  event  of  this  kind  evokes  was  then  reigning  in 
the  castle,  whence  the  children  had  been  purposely  sent  out, 
and  they  were  gaily  snowballing  each  other  in  the  court- 
yard, while  their  father,  all  anxiety,  was  mechanically  fol- 
lowing the  clouds  of  smoke  which  his  Oriental  chibouque 
emitted. 

A  sudden  tumult  startled  him  from  this  preoccupied  state. 
It  was  the  children  all  running  up  at  once ;  they  were  bring- 
ing a  stranger  who  desired  to  speak  to  the  master  of  the 
house. 

An  extreme  benevolence  and  delicate  politeness  were  the 
distinctive  qualities  of  M.  de  Cracovie,  qualities  which  he 
passed  on  to  all  his  children.  At  the  sight  of  the  stranger 
his  anxiety  gave  room  to  a  lively  curiosity.  The  peculiar 
dress  and  distinguished  demeanour  of  this  man  were  well 
calculated  to  summon  attention. 

M.  de  Cracovie  having  had  him  ushered  into  the  saloon, 


22  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

refreshments  were  officiously  offered.  As  soon  as  the  ser- 
vants had  retired  the  stranger  told  quite  simply  how,  being 
a  Swede  by  birth  and  an  astrologer  by  profession,  he  was 
travelling  in  the  interest  of  science;  he  wanted  to  interview 
a  famous  rabbi  who  lived  at  Kozieniec,  a  little  town  not 
far  from  Wolczyn. 

Although  familiar  with  cabalistic  ideas,  thanks  to  his 
former  connection  with  Swedes,  Poniatowski  was  imper- 
vious to  practices  of  that  nature.  He  could  not  conceal  a 
slight  smile. 

"Ah !  I  see  you  doubt  the  finest,  the  sublimest  of  the  privi- 
leges usurped  by  man,  that  of  reading  in  the  stars!"  ex- 
claimed the  astrologer.  "Very  well !  To  conquer  your  un- 
belief and  leave  you  a  token  of  my  visit  and  of  my  thanks 
for  the  kind  reception  I  found  under  your  roof,  I  will  cast 
the  horoscope  of  your  children."  Immediately  all  the 
brown  and  blond  heads  came  forward,  all  the  little  hands 
were  stretched  out,  and  the  seer,  having  asked  the  minutest 
details  of  the  day  and  hour  of  birth  of  each  child,  pre- 
dicted the  most  splendid  establishments  for  the  girls  and 
military  renown,  honour,  and  riches  for  the  boys. 

At  this  moment  the  silence  was  disturbed  by  the  cries 
of  the  new-born  infant,  which  the  midwife  came  to  present 
to  its  father.  Everybody  surrounded  it. 

The  astrologer,  after  throwing  a  rapid  glance  at  the  child, 
seemed  to  be  taken  in  another  trance. 

"I  salute  you  King  of  Poland!"  he  exclaimed  aloud,  "I 
salute  you  king  from  this  very  day,  while  you  are  yet 
ignorant  of  the  rank  to  which  you  are  predestined  and  the 
misfortunes  to  follow  thereon!" 

However  proof  M.  de  Cracovie  was  against  all  manner 
of  superstitions,  his  daughter  assured  us  that  he  had  more 
than  once  confessed,  long  before  the  prophecy  was  ful- 
filled, to  having  been  seized  by  a  mortal  chill  at  the  astrolo- 
ger's last  words. 


STANISLAUS  C.  PONIATOWSKI, 
Commander  of  the  forces  of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden. 

From  an  engraving  by  Hnpivoadofa  drawing  by  Pcszka. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  23 

King  Stanislaus  Augustus,  the  object  of  the  prophecy, 
never  referred  to  it,  but  all  his  contemporaries  remembered 
it  and  told  it,  each  after  his  own  fashion. 

How  enviable  is  the  superiority  of  character  which  allows 
us,  without  fear  of  ridicule,  to  admit  freely  that  there  are 
things  one  cannot  explain,  especially  as  it  is  impossible  to 
deny  them ! 

Oh,  for  the  good  old  days,  when  people  believed  in  every- 
thing ! 

First,  they  believed  in  Providence,  and  that  simplifies 
many  things;  then  they  believed  in  Paradise,  which  makes 
many  sorrows  endurable.  They  believed  in  virtue  and  in 
resistance  to  evil  propensities,  for  the  cleverest  authors,  the 
most  entertaining  romancers,  had  then  not  yet  established 
that  such  resistance  is  at  least  superfluous,  passion  justify- 
ing any  lapse. 

Faith  was  placed  in  miracles,  disinterested  love  was  be- 
lieved in,  devotion  in  friendship,  and  even  gratitude. 

After  the  serious  beliefs  came  the  amiable  and  superflu- 
ous beliefs — those  that  people  reproached  themselves  for, 
and  that  must  inexorably  be  confessed. 

They  believed  in  philters,  spells,  presentiments,  fortune- 
tellers, astrologers,  ghosts!  Those  beliefs  produced  poets, 
visionaries,  religious  fanatics,  heroes,  and  madmen! 

Now,  the  strongly  equipped  brains,  the  profound  and 
positive  minds,  with  which  the  age  superabounds,  refuse  to 
believe  in  anything,  or  believe  in  nothing  beyond  bulls  and 
bears ! 

God  knows,  however,  whether  bulls  and  bears  rest  on  a 
surer  foundation,  and  whether  one  is  not  often  fooled  by 
them ! 


CHAPTER  IV 

MARRIAGE  TO  COUNT  ALEXANDER  POTOCKI 

1802 

MARRIAGE  SCHEMES  —  ARRIVAL  OF  COUNT  POTOCKI  AT 
BIALYSTOK — COUNT  STANISLAUS  POTOCKI — COUNT  TYSZ- 
KIEWICZ  AND  GENERAL  BENINGSEN — DEATH  OF  PAUL  I. 
— THE  AUTHOR'S  EDUCATION  AND  TASTES — COUNTESS 
TYSZKIEWICZ — MADAME  SOBOLEWSKA. 

I  WAS  an  only  daughter;  legacies  from  two  large  fortunes 
were  coming  to  me.  I  had  an  old  name,  a  pleasant  face, 
and  a  thorough  education.  I  was,  in  a  word,  what  is  con- 
ventionally called  a  good  match.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  I 
was  to  have  married  Prince  Stanislaus  Poniatowski,  my 
mother's  brother;  but  as  he  was  approaching  fifty,  was 
lanky,  dry,  and  sober,  I  would  not  hear  of  him,  and  I  with- 
stood the  inducements  of  jewels  and  a  marriage  outfit. 

My  mind  and  my  heart  were,  I  cannot  say  exactly  how, 
swelled  with  a  sort  of  juvenile  exaltation,  nourished  by  the 
perusal  of  the  great  poets  whom  it  had  been  impossible  to 
keep  from  me.  I  wanted  heroes  like  Racine's,  or  knights 
like  Tancred.  Mighty  passions  were  my  need,  instanta- 
neous affections,  great  and  sublime  deeds !  I  waited !  But 
as  I  finally  perceived  that  neither  Britannicus  nor  Gon- 

24 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  25 

zalvo  of  Cordova  presented  himself,  and  that  not  even  a 
meeting  with  Grandison  was  likely,  I  made  up  my  mind  to 
descend  from  the  clouds,  and  sorrowfully  reflected  that  I 
should  be  obliged  to  end  by  marrying,  like  everybody  else, 
under  the  guidance  of  reason  and  expediency. 

Various  matches  were  proposed  to  my  parents.  Some 
did  not  meet  with  their  appro-yjal,  not  being  brilliant  enough; 
the  rest  seemed  to  me  out  of  the  question  because  the  suitors 
were  unattractive.  But  at  last  M.  Alexander  Potocki  de- 
clared himself,  and  as  he,  too,  was  acknowledged  one  of 
the  best  matches  in  Poland,  he  was  accepted  without  hesi- 
tation. Our  relations  had  arranged  everything  by  letter,  so 
that  when  Potocki  arrived  at  Bialystok  he  knew  before- 
hand that  he  would  not  be  refused. 

I  can  still  fancy  myself  hearing  his  carriage  drive  into 
our  court  of  honour.  It  was  on  an  evening  of  the  month 
of  April ;  I  had  caught  cold,  and  had  been  forbidden  to  leave 
my  room.  The  sound  of  a  post-horn  roused  me.  I  ran 
to  the  window,  and  saw  a  young  man  jump  out,  most  grace- 
fully, from  a  travelling  calash,  and  quickly  mount  the  steps 
to  the  main  entrance.  I  at  once  told  myself  this  could  be 
none  other  than  the  expected  traveller.  The  emotions  I 
underwent  very  much  resembled  fright!  What  would  I 
not  have  given  to  be  able  to  put  off  that  first  interview  until 
the  morrow !  But  I  was  not  consulted,  and  I  saw  M.  Po- 
tocki enter  with  my  mother  on  his  arm. 

He  had  been  journeying  afar;  that  was  a  great  resource 
for  a  first  call..  He  told  us  a  lot  of  interesting  things  about 
London,  about  Paris — he  had  seen  the  great  Napoleon! 
But  on  this  point  I  found  him  not  the  least  bit  communi- 
cative. He  spoke  without  particular  enthusiasm  of  what 
he  had  seen,  and  did  not  seem  at  all  dazzled  by  so  much 
greatness  and  magnificence. 

Tea  was  served,  and  we  scrutinised  one  another.     M. 


26  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

Potocki  had  seen  me  when  I  was  very  young  indeed,  at  my 
mother's.  I  remembered  him ;  he  had  made  the  impression 
on  me  of  a  disdainful  dandy  who  did  not  talk  to  little  girls. 

We  met  again  at  that  happy  age  when  time,  having  put 
the  finishing  touches  to  his  task,  seems  to  halt,  as  if  to 
enjoy  its  contemplation,  but  ready  to  compensate  himself, 
some  day,  for  the  brief  respite.  We  looked  at  each  other 
surreptitiously,  and  experienced  surprise  mingled  with  sat- 
isfaction. We  were  better  pleased  with  our  prize  than  we 
had  anticipated  being.  Three  weeks  elapsed,  at  the  end 
of  which  we  thought  we  knew  and  suited  each  other  per- 
fectly. There  was,  however,  not  the  slighest  similarity  in 
our  characters  and  tastes. 

Count  Stanislaus  Potocki,  my  future  father-in-law,  soon 
joined  us,  so  as  to  be  present  at  our  wedding.  The  count 
was  one  of  the  foremost  personages  of  those  times,  which 
abounded  with  men  of  head  and  heart.  His  brother  Igna- 
tius and  himself  had  worked  valiantly  at  the  Constitution 
of  May  3,  and  both  were  victims  of  their  faithfulness,  in 
a  Russian  and  an  Austrian  dungeon  expiating  the  noble 
impulse  which  had  urged  them  to  devote  themselves  to 
their  country's  liberty  and  independence.  It  is  rare  to  see 
two  brothers  so  richly  endowed  by  nature;  to  the  most 
pleasing  exterior  were  added  a  superior  mind  and  a  prodig- 
ious education  and  memory,  and,  though  men  of  the  world, 
they  knew  everything  and  had  time  for  everything.  Prince 
Stanislaus,  moreover,  was  gifted  with  artistic  accomplish- 
ments to  a  degree  I  have  never  seen  equalled  by  an  ama- 
teur. Several  journeys  in  Italy  had  helped  to  develop  in 
him  that  noble  love  of  the  beautiful  which  constitutes,  so 
to  speak,  an  additional  sense.  Always  kind  and  affable,  he 
was  always  disposed  to  listen  to  those  who  came  to  him 
for  advice.  His  light  humour  and  extreme  politeness  con- 
trasted oddly  with  a  vivacity,  an  irritability,  which  often 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  27 

gave  rise  to  mirth.  There  were  days  when,  at  the  least 
annoyance,  he  got  angry  like  a  child,  and  calmed  down  as 
quickly.  It  was  above  all  funny  to  watch  this  statesman 
at  play — this  gentleman  of  taste,  this  great  lord,  who  by  his 
exquisite  manners  had  been  marked  in  every  court  of  Eu- 
rope— to  see  him  roused  to  the  pitch  of  throwing  cards  and 
counters  at  his  partner's  head.  And  yet  he  played  for 
penny  points,  and  never  would  be  paid. 

"Why,"  he  exclaimed,  in  his  amusing  wrath,  "if  I  were 
playing  for  blows  with  a  stick,  I  should  still  want  to  win !" 

I  dwell  upon  these  details  since  I  take  pleasure  in  speaking 
of  my  father-in-law,  whom  I  dearly  loved,  and  of  whom  I 
know  nothing  but  good.  I  owe  him  everything  I  know 
of  architecture;  he  enjoyed  cultivating  this  passion  for  the 
arts  in  me,  which  has  since  been  the  delight  of  life,  and 
which  my  mother  had  sought  to  instil  into  me. 

But  let  us  go  back  to  my  marriage,  which  took  place  at 
Wilna,  where  my  father  was  stopping.  As  he  was  suffer- 
ing severely  from  an  attack  of  the  gout,  he  had  been  forbid- 
den to  leave  his  room,  and  the  ceremony  was  held  in  his 
saloon. 

A  few  days  later  my  father-in-law,  tired  of  enforced  inac- 
tivity, and  desirous  of  resuming  his  usual  pursuits,  took 
us  off  to  Warsaw,  where  my  mother-in-law  was  await- 
ing me. 

I  took  leave  of  my  father  with  the  dreadful  presentiment 
that  I  should  never  see  him  again.  His  persistence  in  re- 
fusing to  go  away  to  take  the  waters  cost  him  his  life.  He 
had  become  gloomy  and  melancholy,  and  left  the  country 
only  as  often  as  his  health  or  business  compelled  him  to  go 
into  town,  where  the  contact  with  the  Russian  officials  was 
odious  to  him.  In  order  to  escape  it,  his  illness  served  as 
an  excuse;  he  never  went  out,  and  even  exempted  himself 
from  the  ceremonial  visits.  General  Beningsen,  Governor 


28  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

of  Wilna  for  the  time  being,  treated  him  with  overwhelm- 
ing consideration,  and  frequently  came  to  see  him.  One 
day  he  was  so  far  carried  away  as  to  relate  to  him  all  the 
details  of  the  famous  conspiracy  which  had  put  Alexander 
on  the  throne.  He  even  spoke  of  the  part  he  had  taken  in 
the  assassination.  So  far  as  I  remember,  he  claimed  the 
honour  of  being  the  first  to  lay  hands  upon  the  unhappy 
monarch,  who  defended  his  life  with  greater  courage  than 
was  expected  of  him.  Beningsen  experienced  no  diffidence  in 
talking  of  this  scene  of  horror,  in  which  one  man  had  long 
held  out  against  five  murderers.  He  regarded  himself  as 
a  modern  Brutus.  To  say  truth  Paul's  tyranny  and  his  ex- 
travagances, which  partook  of  cruelty  in  a  certain  measure, 
justified  those  who,  having  failed  to  force  his  abdication, 
found  themselves  obliged  to  take  his  life;  but  it  is  none 
the  less  the  fact  that  you  could  not  listen  without  shudder- 
ing to  him  who  thus  boasted  of  having  played  an  active  part 
in  the  drama. 

We  left  Wilna  together.  My  mother  preferred  to  remain 
at  Bialystok,  for  she  did  not  in  any  way  wish  to  divert  me 
from  the  duties  my  new  position  brought  me.  I  felt  a  keen 
sorrow  at  separating  from  my  mother.  I  had  never  left 
her  before.  She  had  taken  a  great  interest  in  my  educa- 
tion; I  took  my  lessons  in  my  room — some  she  gave  me 
herself.  Idle  about  everything  not  related  to  the  things 
of  the  imagination  or  the  arts,  I  would  have  liked  to  draw 
all  day.  And  when,  at  thirteen,  I  read  the  "Iliad,"  I  would 
not  hear  of  any  other  book.  My  mother  took  alarm  at 
what  perhaps  might  have  pleased  a  less  sensible  person. 
She  was  grave  and  cold;  she  had  a  just  and  sound  mind; 
she  was  fond  of  study,  and  indulged  in  thinking  from  in- 
clination. Never  was  there  a  more  striking  contrast  than 
that  existing  between  our  characters. 

My  own  experience  has  led  me  to  see  that  education  may, 


G 


Published  byJArrcrne  atthe£it>le.Lrc»ri$&njtrtuttan.&rn 


COUNT  LEVIN  A.  T.  BENINGSEN. 
(A  leader  in  the  murder  of  the  Czar  Paul  in  1801.) 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  29 

at  the  utmost,  modify  the  temperament,  but  that  it  cannot 
change  it.  My  mother  frowned  on  exuberant  merriment, 
on  the  taste  for  society  and  dress.  I  hid  a  thousand  little 
things  from  her ;  at  the  same  time  I  never  knew  how  to  dis- 
semble, and  I  made  more  mistakes  than  one  by  too  much 
candour.  I  was  brought  up  alone,  my  sole  recreation  being 
to  talk  with  old  friends;  in  spite  of  that  my  good  spirits 
remained  inexhaustible.  None  but  good  examples  were 
shown  me.  I  read  none  but  serious  books ;  none  but  things 
I  might  hear  were  told  in  my  presence ;  but  I  nearly  always 
guessed  what  was  supposed  to  be  kept  from  me.  It  may 
be  that  without  such  close  watching  I  should  not  at  all 
have  responded  to  the  exertions  lavished  on  me,  but  I  am 
sure  I  only  knew  wrell  what  I  had  been  taught  least. 

I  loved  my  mother  tenderly,  feeling  that  I  owed  her 
much,  and  that  her  high  character  demanded  my  fullest 
respect,  but  with  this  sentiment  was  connected  a  sort  of  fear 
which  spoilt  our  intercourse.  She  wished  for  my  confi- 
dence, and  I  often  felt  a  desire  to  give  it  her  entirely;  but 
from  the  moment  that  my  opinion  or  intention  contradicted 
hers,  she  scolded  me  severely,  and  drove  back  a  confession 
nearly  slipping  from  my  heart. 

I  stood  in  need  of  an  affection,  if  not  tenderer,  at  least 
more  confidential.  Among  the  young  people  with  whom 
chance  had  thrown  me,  was  Madame  Sobolewska.  I  felt 
attracted  to  her ;  I  liked  the  great  sweetness  of  her  face  and 
manners.  She  was  a  few  years  older  than  I.  To  her  ad- 
vantages she  joined  so  much  modesty  and  humility  that  one 
could  not  envy  her  for  being  a  universal  favourite,  at  which 
she  alone  seemed  surprised. 

Whenever  her  agreeable  and  cultivated  mind  managed 
to  escape  from  the  strict  reserve  behind  which  she  kept  it 
concealed  she  was  charming,  and  I  have  seen  few  women 
so  amiable  when  she  dared  to  be  amiable.  Her  spirit  shed 


30  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

something  elevated  and  pure  over  all  her  actions.  I  felt 
better  at  leaving  her.  At  first  I  loved  her  by  instinct. 
When  I  learnt  how  to  think  I  loved  her  because  I  found  she 
was  perfect,  and  I  shall  love  her  all  my  life,  because  this  love 
has  become  my  heart's  necessity  and  habit.  Never  have 
I  had  a  secret  thought  or  act  from  her;  never  has  she  be- 
lieved me  better  than  I  am.  In  her  heart  I  went  to  place 
my  sorrows,  my  hopes,  my  joys,  and  my  regrets,  and  I 
always  found  in  her  an  indulgent  friend,  discreet  beyond 
all  proof,  and  a  most  gentle  and  pleasant  companion. 

My  mother  ended  by  approving  of  our  intimacy ;  she  was 
the  only  person  she  allowed  me  to  love. 


CHAPTER  V 

LANgUT  AND  PULAWY 
1803 

SENTIMENTAL   WALK   BY   MOONLIGHT — FEMININE   GUILE — 

WEDDING    VISITS THE    PRINCESS    MARSHAL HIS    GRACE 

OF  LAON — PULAWY — PRINCE  ADAM  CASIMIR  CZARTORY- 
SKI — HIS  GENEROSITY — THE  PARK  AT  PULAWY — THE 
GOTHIC  HOUSE — REMINISCENCES  OF  THE  GREAT  FRED- 
ERICK— THE  EMPEROR  JOSEPH  II. — PRINCE  KAUNITZ. 

MY  husband  and  I  reached  Warsaw  at  the  finest  season  of 
the  year,  and  were  soon  established  in  Willanow,  a  beauti- 
ful district,  famous  through  the  memory  of  John  Sobieski, 
who  had  made  a  home  there. 

In  taking  possession  of  the  charming  apartments  my 
mother-in-law  had  prepared  for  me,  I  fancied  myself  arrived 
at  the  summit  of  bliss.  My  mother  had  brought  me  up  to 
habits  of  thrift,  on  principle,  and  I  all  at  once  found  myself 
rich  and  independent. 

Without  being  passionately  in  love  with  my  husband,  I 
began  to  conceive  a  very  tender  fondness  for  him.  I  met 
my  friend  Madame  Sobolewska  again ;  my  adopted  relatives 
were  good  and  kind,  and  nothing  was  wanting  to  complete 
my  happiness — unless  a  little  more  sense.  Here  is  the 
proof  of  it. 


32  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

A  moonlight  night  was  for  some  time  to  disturb  the  pure 
felicity  I  had  been  enjoying.  I  have  already  said  that  I 
was  blessed  with  a  romantic  brain,  and  that  a  quiet,  even 
state  of  things  could  not  satisfy  me  for  long.  So  the 
thought  suddenly  entered  my  head  to  have  my  husband 
madly  in  love  with  me. 

One  evening,  as  we  were  promenading  the  bank  of  the 
Vistula,  under  those  venerable  trees  which  had  shaded  the 
less  unsophisticated  loves  of  the  beautiful  Marie  d'Arquien, 
I  brought  round  the  conversation  to  sentiment.  1  main- 
tained that  no  happiness  was  possible  on  this  earth  ex- 
cept in  a  reciprocal  attachment,  both  lively  and  enduring! 
My  husband,  after  listening  to  me  indulgently  for  a  little 
while,  looked  at  his  watch,  called  my  attention  to  the  late- 
ness of  the  hour,  observed  that  our  cousins  were  becoming 
very  tiresome,  and  that  it  was  time  to  go  in! 

I  had  started  upon  a  note  so  different  from  that  chosen 
by  him  for  these  remarks  that,  on  reaching  my  room,  I 
burst  into  tears,  and  called  myself  the  most  wretched  woman 
in  the  world  for  being  so  misunderstood  and  taken  in  such 
a  common  way.  I  could  not  imagine  that  I  might  be  loved 
as  well  in  my  room  as  out-of-doors  in  the  moonlight. 

From  that  instant  I  thought  of  nothing  but  of  the  means 
of  giving  rise  to  a  passion  to  which  1  attached  my  whole 
future  and  all  my  happiness.  After  mature  deliberation  I 
believed  to  have  discovered  that  to  make  a  husband  miser- 
able he  must  first  be  made  jealous,  and.  not  wishing  the 
participation  of  a  third  person  in  this  little  family  poem, 
I  wrought  the  notion  of  inditing  an  impassioned  letter  to 
myself.  To  make  my  epistle  look  more  natural  and  real  I 
sprinkled  this  avowal  of  a  timid  but  ardent  love  with  well- 
seasoned  jokes  about  my  surroundings.  I  disguised  my 
handwriting  so  successfully  that  my  husband  (he  found  the 
note  in  an  orange-tree  box)  was  completely  deceived,  and 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  33 

took  it  to  his  mother  for  their  mutual  amusement.  De- 
lighted at  having  so  properly  mystified  my  friends,  I  tri- 
umphed, without  suspecting  what  turn  things  were  about 
to  take.  The  jokes  my  letter  contained,  though  highly  in- 
nocent, annoyed  my  mother-in-law ;  she  read  and  re-read  the 
note,  examined  the  writing,  and  ended  by  discovering  that 
I  was  the  author  of  this  little  hoax. 

It  was  decided  to  put  me  to  the  test,  and  to  ascertain  how 
long  I  would  stand  by  a  falsehood,  which  must  have  ap- 
peared the  more  culpable  as  its  object  was  unknown.  My 
father-in-law  was  sent  to  me. 

Anxious,  and  already  repenting  what  I  had  done,  when 
I  saw  him  enter  my  room  with  the  demeanour  of  one  com- 
ing to  question  me,  I  lost  my  head  altogether,  and,  afraid 
to  confess  such  silly  conduct,  denied  it  with  extraordinary 
clumsiness. 

My  father-in-law  proceeded  most  delicately,  and,  seeing 
that  I  persisted,  retired  in  favour  of  my  husband,  who  began 
the  cross-examination  over  again.  I  was  dying  of  shame, 
but  made  a  desperate  defence.  Ultimately,  however,  he 
wrested  the  fatal  secret  from  me.  I  shed  torrents  of  tears, 
and  cast  myself  at  his  feet.  He  forgave  me,  because  he 
understood  what  motive  had  actuated  me,  and  saw  no  more 
than  a  childish  freak  in  my  hoax.  It  was  otherwise  with 
my  mother-in-law.  She  became  very  disadvantageously 
impressed  as  to  my  character,  and  insisted  in  ascribing  this 
silly,  absurd  letter  to  a  taste  for  intrigue.  It  was  the  first 
time  in  my  life  that  I  had  done  anything  of  the  kind.  I 
nearly  fell  ill  from  vexation,  and  as  I  was  supposed  to  be  ap- 
proaching motherhood,  every  effort  was  made  to  pacify  me. 

But  I  understood  perfectly  well  that  the  attentions  lav- 
ished upon  me  were  exceptional,  and  that  nothing  could 
restore  my  mother-in-law's  confidence  and  affection,  she, 
though  endowed  with  grand  qualities,  not  having  a  fine 


34 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE 


enough  mind  to  distinguish  all  the  different  shades  of  feel- 
ing which  crowded  my  heart. 

The  hope  of  becoming  a  mother  came  as  a  timely  diver- 
sion in  my  distressed  condition,  and  as,  above  all,  an  heir 
was  required,  I  became  the  object  of  a  solicitude  which 
might  have  been  taken  for  extreme  sympathy.  I  was  quite 
ill  for  some  time,  which  obliged  my  husband  to  postpone 
a  round  of  visits  we  were  to  make,  for  I  was  to  be  presented 
to  all  all  of  my  new-old  relations. 

As  soon  as  I  was  in  a  fit  state  we  left  for  the  castle  of 
Langut,  where  my  husband's  grandmother,  Princess  Lubo- 
mirska,  had  set  up  her  establishment.  She  was  known  as 
the  Princess  Marshal.  It  would  hardly  have  been  possible 
to  meet  with  an  individual  who,  in  addition  to  many  excel- 
lent qualities,  boasted  such  peculiar  whims.  She  liked  nei- 
ther her  children  nor  her  country,  and  from  sheer  tedium 
was  perpetually  moving  from  place  to  place.  Estranged 
from  everything  but  the  old  traditions  of  the  court  of 
France,  she  was  better  acquainted  with  the  age  of  Louis 
XIV.  than  with  the  events  which  had  agitated  her  own 
country.  A  spectator  of  the  horrors  that  had  disgraced 
the  revolution  of  1789,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Prin- 
cess Lamballe,  she  hated  all  new  ideas.  To  the  princess, 
Napoleon  was  nothing  but  a  miscreant,  promoted  by  lucky 
chances  to  a  height  at  which  he  could  never  remain.  She 
avoided  speaking  of  him,  and  when  compelled  to  mention 
the  abhorred  name,  she  called  the  emperor  little  Bonaparte. 
Faithful  to  the  Bourbons,  she  wore  mourning  for  the  Due 
d'Enghien,  and  showered  her  charity  upon  all  the  "emi- 
grants" she  could  pick  up  in  the  high  roads. 

When  we  got  to  Langut  we  found  His  Grace  the  Bishop 
of  Laon  established  in  the  castle.  All  the  honours  due  to 
the  tiara  were  rendered  him. 

When  the  princess  made  her  journey  to  Vienna,  which 
happened  nearly  every  winter,  since  her  advanced  years,  to- 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  35 

gether  with  the  change  in  the  dynasty,  had  prohibited  a  stay 
in  Paris,  nothing  changed  at  Langut.  Every  morning  the 
steward  came  for  His  Grace's  orders.  He  was  there  as  if  in 
his  own  palace,  and  he  surely  was  better  off  there  than  at 
home,  for  in  no  country  have  I  seen  any  establishment  at 
the  same  time  so  gorgeous  and  so  elegant.  As  rich  as  a 
princess  in  the  "Arabian  Nights,"  the  Lady  Marshal  had 
elected  to  indulge  in  English  comforts  and  French  tastes. 

She  had,  in  addition,  the  merit  of  worthily  employing 
the  immense  fortune  placed  in  her  hands  by  chance.  Her 
generosity  was  remarkable  in  so  far  as  she  was  entirely 
reasonable  in  dispensing  it,  and  gave  the  benefit  of  it  chiefly 
to  her  numerous  vassals.  There  was  not  a  village  where 
she  had  not  set  up  a  school,  a  doctor,  or  a  midwife.  Her 
agents  were  charged  with  supervising  these  charitable  insti- 
tutions, for,  though  she  did  require  everything  in  her  own 
house  to  be  sumptuous  and  costly,  she  never  neglected 
her  poor. 

But,  curiously  and  inexplicably,  this  same  individual, 
whose  name  was  blessed  by  the  needy,  and  of  whom  none  of 
her  surroundings  could  complain,  was  hard  and  unjust  to 
her  children,  who  nevertheless  adored  her. 

From  the  first  I  perceived  that  my  husband  was  being 
treated  by  her  like  a  grandson,  and  that  this  antipathy  ex- 
tended to  myself.  Still  I  was  not  discouraged,  and  by 
making  Louis  Quinze  caps  for  the  princess  worked  out  my 
pardon  for  being  Alexander's  wife. 

After  staying  a  fortnight  at  Langut  we  repaired  to 
Pulawy,  a  fine  place  belonging  to  Prince  Czartoryski,  broth- 
er to  the  Princess  Marshal,  and  therefore  our  great-uncle. 
He  was  never  called  anything  but  Prince  General.  It  was 
customary  with  us  to  be  called  by  one's  title,  just  as  in 
France  it  was  the  custom  to  assume  that  of  one's  principal 
fief. 

This  castle  differed  entirely  from  that  which  we  had  just 


36  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

left.  Everything  here  was  devoid  of  elegance;  nothing  was 
aimed  at  but  to  revive,  or  rather  continue,  old  traditions, 
and  to  make  no  changes  from  ancestral  habits.  The  inter- 
course was  just  as  cordial  as  it  was  good-natured.  At 
the  very  outset  one  felt  at  ease.  Under  frivolous  externals 
the  prince  concealed  the  profound  student.  His  condition 
was  overlooked  because  of  his  jokes  and  frank  jollity.  His 
wit  was  subtle,  brilliant,  spontaneous;  I  have  never  met 
but  the  Prince  cle  Ligne  who  could  have  been  compared 
with  him  in  this  respect,  but  the  Prince  General  had,  be- 
sides, the  noblest  soul  and  the  most  elevated  ideas.  Had 
he  not  surrendered  too  soon  to  the  seductions  of  society 
and  all  the  futilities  of  life,  few  men  would  have  ventured 
to  oppose  him,  and  his  political  influence  would  not  have 
remained  without  notable  results. 

When  I  saw  him  for  the  first  time  his  advanced  age  had 
as  yet  detracted  nothing  from  the  grace  and  quickness  of 
his  wit.  He  was  a  little  dry,  powdered  old  gentleman,  irre- 
proachably tidy  and  neat.  I  scarcely  know  on  what  occa- 
sion Joseph  II.  created  him  an  Austrian  field  marshal,  be- 
cause he  had  never  been  to  war.  However  that  may  be, 
under  this  foreign  uniform  and  these  hostile  colours  beat 
a  noble  heart,  full  of  patriotism  and  steadfastness.  His 
perfect  kindness  showed  itself  at  all  times,  and  he  was  adored 
throughout  the  country.  He  had  a  number  of  poor  gentle- 
men educated  at  his  own  expense,  he  took  a  personal  interest 
in  their  characters,  followed  their  progress,  made  them 
travel,  etc.  A  number  of  distinguished  subjects  owed  the 
development  of  their  abilities  to  what  was  called  the  Pulawy 
School,  a  school  to  which  the  prince's  generosity  gave  an 
immense  scope  since  it  had  branches  as  far  as  France  and 
England.  He  thus  compromised  a  large  fortune,  and  in- 
curred debts  which  his  sons  afterwards  paid. 

That  was  a  fine  aristocracy,  and  which,  I  venture  to  say, 


COUNTESS  SOPHIE  ZA.MOYSKA  (nee  CZARTORYSKA). 

From  an  engraving  by  Hopuiood  --Jtcr  Isabcy. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  37 

could  only  be  met  with  in  Poland.  When  the  Prince  Gen- 
eral had  assured  the  future  of  a  deserving  family,  he  would 
go  and  secretly  thank  them  for  the  confidence  they  had 
placed  in  him.  •  His  savings  affected  his  own  table  solely. 
Highly  frugal  himself,  and  condemned  by  his  physician  to 
take  his  modest  repast  alone,  he  was  always  the  first  to 
laugh  at  our  bad  dinners.  But  there  were  fifty  people  at 
table,  and  at  least  a  hundred  lived  on  the  dessert.  When, 
having  finished  his  hermit's  meal,  he  circulated  among  us, 
it  was  a  universal  delight;  he  amused  all  the  guests  with 
his  jovial  humour.  If  he  accidentally  met  his  steward,  he 
tapped  him  on  the  shoulder,  asking  him  if  he  was  still  faith- 
ful to  the  same  system. 

"For,"  said  he,  "that  rascal  has  made  a  vow  never  to 
serve  but  new  wine  and  old  beef !" 

The  princess,  Isabel  Czartoryska,  was  at  that  time  busy 
with  paupers.  From  early  morning  her  door  was  besieged 
by  all  the  poor  and  all  the  sick  of  the  neighbouring  villages. 
After  attending  to  the  wants  of  each  one,  she  repaired  to  her 
magnificent  garden,  and  spent  a  great  part  of  the  day  in 
superintending  the  work  there. 

The  buildings  in  the  park  at  Pulawy  are  highly  interest- 
ing. The  most  notable  is  devoted  to  historical  and  national 
relics;  it  is  a  copy  of  the  Sibylline  Temple  so  much  ad- 
mired at  Tivoli.  The  intelligent  architect  to  whom  the 
erection  of  this  edifice  was  entrusted  went  to  Italy  so  as 
to  reproduce  it  faithfully,  and  he  acquitted  himself  of  his 
task  to  a  marvel.  The  same  proportions  are  there,  the 
same  accuracy  of  detail,  the  same  solidity  of  construction, 
and,  as  the  Italian  sky  is  the  only  thing  not  to  be  imitated, 
a  dome  of  a  single  piece  of  glass  idealises  our  foggy  at- 
mosphere. 

Collected  there  are  our  kings'  insignia,  our  queens'  jewels, 
our  great  men's  arms,  as  well  as  trophies  captured  from 


38  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

the  enemy.  Nothing  so  grand,  nothing  so  noble  as  an  exhi- 
bition of  patriotic  relics  among  which  every  family  become 
illustrious  by  a  great  deed  has  deposited  its  title  to  immor- 
tality ! 

The  impediment  of  the  temple  bears  an  inscription  which 
seems  to  recapitulate  at  once  our  greatness,  our  reverses, 
and  our  hopes :  The  Past  to  the  Future.  May  this  sacred 
bequest  be  spared  by  time,  so  that  our  posterity  may  sharpen 
their  swords  on  the  steps  of  this  glorious  temple ! 

A  second  building,  called  the  Gothic  House,  is  in  an  en- 
tirely different  style,  a  happy  combination  of  the  Flemish 
and  the  Moorish,  a  structure  recommended  at  different  pe- 
riods, one  would  say,  and  consummated  with  exquisite  taste. 
The  princess  took  pleasure  in  enriching  it  with  treasures 
from  all  countries,  and  in  mustering  celebrities  of  all  times 
there. 

Close  to  a  plait  of  Agnes  Sorel's  hair,  kept  in  a  magnifi- 
cent rock  crystal  case,  mounted  with  precious  stones,  is 
the  unshapely  bowl  used  for  the  anointing  of  the  Russian 
czars,  carried  off  from  Moscow  by  our  braves.  Under  an 
admirable  portrait  of  Raphael,  painted  by  himself,  is  Shake- 
speare's arm-chair,  of  which  the  worm-eaten  wood  is  reli- 
giously covered  with  brass  and  velvet.  Near  by  is  a  table 
that  had  been  Voltaire's  property,  and  the  handsomely 
chased  key  opens  a  drawer  in  which  innumerable  valuables 
are  accumulated.  First,  a  collection  of  letters  from  dis- 
tinguished men  who  adorned  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.,  among 
them  a  fine  one  of  Turenne,  written  entirely  by  his  own 
hand  a  few  days  before  his  death ;  a  little  book,  with  its  old- 
fashioned  binding,  containing  plans  of  fortifications  drawn 
by  Marshal  Vauban,  who  dedicated  this  set  to  the  Duke  of 
Burgundy;  autograph  letters  of  all  the  kings  of  France, 
from  Francis  I.  to  Napoleon;  Madame  de  la  Valliere's 
prayer-book,  and  a  number  of  curiosities  of  the  kind,  which 
one  regrets  to  pass  by  casually. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  39 

The  walls  of  this  building  are  covered  with  old  inscrip- 
tions bearing  principally  upon  Polish  history.  The  prin- 
cess was  engaged  upon  a  descriptive  catalogue  of  her  treas- 
ures, and  engravings  are  now  being  made  of  the  prominent 
objects  of  this  valuable  collection.  It  is  a  most  extensive 
work,  and  shows  to  what  degree  the  princess  has  studied 
the  history  of  the  various  countries  from  which  the  relics 
were  gathered.  The  French  Revolution  contributed  to  the 
contents  of  the  Gothic  House.  At  a  time  when  antiquities 
were  sold  at  a  discount  Countess  Zamoyska,  the  princess's 
daughter,  being  in  Paris  in  those  delirious  days,  acquired 
articles  now  priceless. 

I  cannot  say  how  interesting  and  agreeable  it  was  to 
listen  to  her,  who,  after  spending  a  lifetime  in  bringing  so 
many  curiosities  and  rarities  together,  exhibited  them  her- 
self, telling  some  strange  story  about  nearly  every  one. 

In  the  evening,  when,  having  wandered  about  the  beau- 
tiful park  and  gardens,  we  met  at  the  hostess',  I  took  pleas- 
ure in  calling  up  her  varied  reminiscences.  She  had  trav- 
elled a  great  deal,  and,  though  already  far  advanced  in 
years,  she  discussed  the  historical  personages  she  introduced 
as  if  she  had  left  them  the  day  before. 

Being  presented  at  the  court  of  Frederick  the  Great,  she 
had  contrived  to  slip  into  his  study  one  day,  just  as  he  had 
gone  out.  That,  she  said,  was  taking  a  man  in  the  act. 

In  front  of  a  desk  covered  with  papers  and  maps  a  plate 
of  cherries  was  provided  with  a  ticket  written  by  the  king's 
hand :  /  leave  eighteen.  Quite  near  by  an  old  hussar  uni- 
form, spread  out  over  a  sofa,  awaited  inexpensive  repairs. 
Next  to  a  letter  from  Voltaire,  still  open,  lay  a  grocer's 
bill — the  court  grocer's.  A  sheet  of  music  was  thrown  at 
haphazard  on  a  desk,  and  not  far  from  this  harmonious 
appeal  stood  a  curule  chair,  similar  to  that  in  the  capitol, 
with  this  difference,  that  one  is  in  old  crimson,  and  the 
other  was  in  wood  with  nothing  to  conceal  its  common  use. 


40  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

That  was  certainly  a  queer  study  for  a  king !  Napoleon  put 
his  right  of  conquest  to  much  better  purpose  than  Frederick 
his  right  of  birth. 

An  infinite  amount  of  tact  was  requisite  to  keep  out  of 
trouble  between  the  two  courts  in  Berlin.  The  king  had 
his,  all  composed  of  soldiers  and  men  of  learning.  The 
queen,  whom  he  never  saw,  gathered  the  fashionable  women 
of  the  highest  society  and  aristocracy  about  her.  Whoever 
frequented  one  of  the  courts  was  in  bad  odour  at  the  other. 
It  was  almost  equivalent  to  ostracism. 

When  the  king  spoke  of  his  wife,  which  rarely  happened, 
he  never  called  her  anything  but  "old  fool" ;  vice  versa  she 
called  him  "the  old  rascal,"  or  "the  old  thief." 

Frederick  had  a  sparkling  wit,  but  was  harsh  and  dis- 
agreeable. Princess  Czartoryska  much  preferred  the  con- 
versation of  Emperor  Joseph  II.,  with  whom  she  had  had 
the  opportunity  of  becoming  closely  acquainted.  The  un- 
happy Marie-Antoinette,  having  admitted  her  to  intimacy, 
had  given  her  a  letter  to  her  brother,  cautioning  her  to  hand 
it  over  secretly,  as  all  her  actions  were  under  minute  obser- 
vation. The  princess  eagerly  acquitted  herself  of  the  deli- 
cate mission.  The  Emperor  Joseph,  after  dilating  on  all 
the  probable  and  possible  chances  of  the  Revolution,  then 
already  brewing,  one  day  exclaimed,  as  if  animated  by  a 
prophetic  spirit: 

"It  will  go  on  like  that  until  a  man  of  mighty  genius 
seizes  the  reins  of  authority  and  puts  things  back  in  their 
place.  As  far  as  my  sister  is  concerned,  I  believe  it  is,  un- 
fortunately, too  late!  And  I  much  fear  that  she  will  be 
a  victim  to  her  own  imprudence  and  to  the  weakness  of  the 
king,  her  husband." 

Joseph  II.  was  one  of  the  wittiest  men  of  his  time.  He 
liked  society,  and  took  pleasure  in  conversation.  His  im- 
mediate circle  was  composed  of  several  charming  women, 


JOSF.PH  II.,  EMPEROR  OF  GERMANY. 

J''roin  an  old  engraving. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  41 

among  whose  number  Princess  Czartoryska  occupied  a 
prominent  place.  Some  of  her  recollections  were  handed 
down  to  us. 

One  day,  at  the  end  of  dinner,  she  related  that  she  had 
known  Prince  Kaunitz,  who  had  a  varied  reputation,  and 
incidentally  one  for  impudence.  Having  fine  teeth,  he  at- 
tended to  them  without  the  slightest  regard  for  his  guests. 
As  soon  as  the  table  was  cleared  his  valet  put  a  mirror,  a 
basin,  and  brushes  before  him,  and  then  and  there  the  prince 
began  his  morning  toilet  over  again,  just  as  if  he  had  been 
alone  in  his  dressing-room,  while  every  one  was  waiting 
for  him  to  finish,  to  get  up  from  the  table. 

I  could  not  suppress  my  astonishment,  and  asked  the 
princess  if  she,  too,  had  waited. 

"Yes,  alas!"  she  replied,  "I  was  so  put  out  of  counte- 
nance that  I  only  recovered  my  senses  at  the  foot  of  the 
stairs;  but  later  on  it  was  different:  I  complained  of  the 
heat,  and  left  the  table  at  dessert." 

At  this  same  dinner  a  Venetian  nobleman,  named  Grande- 
nigo,  sat  near  Prince  Kaunitz.  The  prince,  who  was  in 
good  humour,  amused  himself  by  addressing  him  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  dubbing  him  grand  nigaud.  The  poor 
foreigner  knew  no  French,  and,  taken  aback  by  the  immod- 
erate laughter,  asked  his  neighbour  for  an  explanation. 

"His  Highness,"  was  the  answer,  "likes  people  to  be 
jolly  at  his  table!" 

But  the  Venetian,  not  quite  reassured  by  this  answer, 
remained  moody,  and  took  no  notice  of  the  dishes  offered 
him.  The  prince,  having  noticed  that  this  absent-minded- 
ness interfered  with  the  service,  said  aloud  to  his  house 
steward : 

"Why  don't  you  give  him  a  dig  in  the  ribs?" 

To  hear  such  details  would  you  not  fancy  yourself  some 
centuries  back?  Certainly  Prince  Metternich,  who  to- 


42  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

day  fills  Prince  Kaunitz's  place,  would  not  venture  such 
peculiar  manners,  even  if  he  were  tempted  to  do  so,  which 
I  am  far  from  presuming  he  ever  would  be,  having  always 
known  him  to  be  perfectly  decorous  and  polite.  I  will  not 
say  as  much  for  his  wife. 


PRINCE  WENZEL  ANTON  VON  KAUNITZ. 


CHAPTER  VI 

MYSTERIES 
1803 

RETURN  TO  TOWN — THE  SEER — A  TRAP  SET AN  EVENING 

AT  THE  FRENCH  THEATRE,  WARSAW MYSTERIOUS  DRIVE 

— THE  SOOTHSAYER'S  DEN — CONSULTATION — THE  BLACK 

CURTAIN  RISES AN  APPARITION — THE  SUPPER KEY  TO 

THE  RIDDLE PRINCE  RADZIWILL AN  ANNOYING  MOTH- 
ER-IN-LAW— BIRTH  OF  AN  HEIR — NATOLINE. 

WINTER  took  us  back  to  town.  My  husband's  parents  were 
already  settled  there,  and  we  went  to  live  at  their  house. 
Soon  after  my  mother  moved  into  hers,  to  be  present  at 
my  confinement. 

I  believe  I  have  already  made  it  plain  that  I  had  a  taste 
for  the  marvellous,  and  that  my  imagination  delighted  in 
uncommon  things.  Knowing  that  my  father-in-law  was 
a  freemason,  and  that  he  was  a  frequenter  of  the  Grand 
Oriental,  a  very  well  known  lodge  then  existing  in  Warsaw, 
I  was  seized  with  a  violent  desire  to  penetrate  mysteries  of 
whose  importance  I  entertained  exaggerated  notions.  I 
would  burn  with  curiosity,  while  trembling  with  fear,  when 
I  was  told  of  the  shadows  and  flames  through  which  you 
had  to  beat  a  path,  of  the  windows  from  which  you  were 

43 


44 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE 


forced  to  leap  into  the  abyss,  of  the  nails  on  which  you 
were  obliged  to  walk ! 

I  had  vainly  tried  to  make  my  father-in-law  gossip;  he 
laughed  me  in  the  face,  and  remained  inscrutable,  which 
threw  me  into  despair.  All  of  a  sudden  I  thought  I  ob- 
served how  he,  usually  so  talkative  and  communicative, 
had  moments  of  preoccupation.  Often  dinner  was  delayed 
for  him,  he  arrived  late,  appeared  abstracted,  sometimes  he 
even  did  not  come  at  all.  My  mother-in-law  evidently 
knew  what  the  reason  was  of  these  absences,  for  they  did 
not  seem  to  trouble  her ;  but  she  kept  silence.  I  questioned 
my  husband,  who  confirmed  his  father's  preoccupation,  but 
asserted  not  to  know  its  reason. 

Things  remained  at  that  for  some  time,  while  my  curios- 
ity only  grew.  At  last,  one  fine  day,  my  mother-in-law 
hazarded  a  half -confession,  and  told  me  she  was  beginning 
to  fear  the  discovery  of  secret  gatherings  of  which  a  cele- 
brated sccr  was  the  object,  and  which  gatherings  engrossed 
my  father-in-law  more  every  day.  She  enjoined  the  most 
scrupulous  discretion  on  me,  and  made  me  promise  to  say 
nothing  to  my  husband,  in  pretence  urging  his  possible 
anxiety.  I  shall  not  examine  the  case :  did  she  do  well  or 
not  to  teach  me  to  have  secrets  from  my  husband?  The 
answer  is  delicate — but  I  will  confess  it  cost  me  much  not 
to  speak  to  him  of  what  exclusively  occupied  my  mind. 

My  father-in-law  being  in  poor  health,  his  habits  were 
very  carefully  regulated,  and  every  day,  about  the  same 
hour,  he  took  a  turn  in  a  closed  carriage.  I  frequently 
accompanied  him,  as  in  my  condition  I  also  required  exer- 
cise, and  the  weather  did  not  permit  me  to  walk  as  much 
as  I  was  accustomed  to. 

One  morning,  when  we  had  driven  farther  than  usual,  he 
seemed  more  rapt  and  taciturn  than  ever.  I  could  hold  out 
no  longer,  and  ventured  a  question — it  was  what  he  was 
trying  to  lead  me  unto. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  45 

After  a  few  commonplaces  he  said,  as  if  carried  away  in 
spite  of  himself,  "If  you  were  not  so  young,  and  if  I  might 
count  on  absolute  secrecy,  I  could  tell  you  some  astonish- 
ing things." 

What  more  was  necessary  ?  I  begged,  I  implored,  I  even 
swore!  And  so  I  learnt  that  a  seer  versed  in  the  occult 
sciences  was  in  hiding  in  one  of  the  suburbs  of  the  town. 

"I  have  seen  more  than  one,"  said  my  father-in-law  to 
me,  "in  the  different  countries  I  have  travelled  in,  but  never 
have  I  met  with  anything  comparable  to  this." 

He  then  confided  to  me  that  there  were  several,  all  clever 
people,  (I  knew  them),  who  every  evening  went  secretly  to 
hear  and  see  things — such  extraordinary  things  that,  if  he 
told  them  to  me,  I  should  refuse  to  believe  them ! 

I  was  listening  so  intently  that  I  did  not  notice  the  car- 
riage was  entering  the  court  of  our  house. 

That  day  I  was  unable  to  reintroduce  a  subject  of  which 
I  was  thinking  all  day  and  dreaming  all  night. 

The  next  day  the  confidences  became  more  explicit.  I 
found  that  for  a  sum  of  money,  which  would  go  to  the 
poor,  the  seer  affecting  philanthropy,  I  might  hope  for  ad- 
mission across  the  threshold  of  the  sanctuary,  if  not  for 
initiation  into  all  the  wonders  which  adepts  only  have  the 
right  to  know.  It  was  much  more  than  I  dared  ask;  up 
till  then  my  modest  hopes  had  been  limited  to  hearing  an 
account  of  the  miracles. 

In  high  glee,  I  therefore  hastened  to  get  the  money  I 
had  saved,  and  in  return  obtained  a  half-promise;  because 
the  first  thing  was  to  touch  the  seer's  heart  by  the  charities 
he  could  perform  gratis,  and  thus  imperceptibly  dispose  him 
to  receive  me. 

These  difficult  negotiations  absorbed  some  days  more, 
which  to  me  were  as  centuries ;  but  at  length  my  father-in- 
law  came  with  the  announcement  that,  having  declared  him- 
self responsible  for  me,  and  my  offering  having  been  ac- 


46  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

cepted,  I  should  be  called  to  hear  what  few  ears  had  heard, 
and  to  see  what  few  eyes  had  seen.  I  burst  into  such  trans- 
ports of  joy  as  to  frighten  him.  And  now  that  I  recollect 
all  the  emotions  to  which  I  was  exposed  I  still  feel  sur- 
prise that  my  health  was  not  injured. 

The  day  of  the  ordeal  once  fixed,  it  was  agreed  that  I 
should  go  to  the  French  theatre  as  usual,  and  that  at  the 
appointed  hour  my  father-in-law  should  sign  to  me,  that  I 
should  then  complain  of  the  heat,  and  that  he  should  offer 
to  take  me  home.  Only  he  advised  me  to  provide  myself 
with  a  veil,  seeing  that  a  woman  of  quality  must  never  take 
the  risk  of  being  recognised  when  she  goes  on  a  mysterious 
errand,  wheresoever  it  be. 

At  the  moment  I  got  into  the  carriage  I  perceived  that 
the  lamps  were  not  lit,  and  the  servants  not  wearing  livery. 

"It  is  compulsory  under  such  circumstances,"  said  my 
father-in-law.  "I  suppose  that  will  not  frighten  you." 

And  didn't  I  vow  that  nothing  could  shake  my  courage ! 
I  nevertheless  began  to  feel  my  nerves  greatly  agitated. 

The  carriage  travelled  with  extreme  speed.  We  thus 
traversed  a  considerable  distance.  As  it  was  very  cold  the 
windows  were  up,  and  I  could  not  tell  through  what  streets 
we  were  passing.  The  coachman  had  been  told  to  go  zuhere 
he  went  every  evening.  Suddenly  we  left  the  pavement! 

"Then  it  is  outside  the  town?"  I  enquired. 

"Yes,  of  course,  because  this  man  is  obliged  to  hide; 
were  he  discovered  he  would  be  arrested.  And  further," 
added  my  father-in-law,  "do  not  for  an  instant  forget  that 
the  least  indiscretion  would  infallibly  ruin  us." 

"Oh!"  I  exclaimed.  "How  absurd  governments  are  to 
thus  persecute  science!" 

Soon  the  carriage  rolled  over  paving  stones;  we  entered 
a  court;  we  stopped,  and  the  footman  silently  opened  the 
door.  My  father-in-law  got  out  quickly,  and  asked  me  to 


THE  GRAND  NATIONAL  THEATRE  AT  WARSAW. 

Engraved  by  Pilinski  after  Corazzi. 


THE  KOPERNIK  HOUSE  IN  WARSAW, 
Visited  by  Napoleon  in  1807.     Built  in  1473. 

From  an  engraving  by  Pitinski  after  Mielcarzeviicz. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  47 

wait  a  few  minutes  for  a  light.  Entire  darkness  and  still- 
ness reigned.  I  already  felt  a  little  less  heroical.  How- 
ever a  lively  curiosity  still  kept  up  my  courage.  My  fa- 
ther-in-law came  back  in  the  company  of  a  little  man  in  a 
black  coat;  he  was  carrying  a  dark  lantern.  The  staircase 
was  narrow  and  steep,  and  I  climbed  up  with  difficulty. 

"So  this,"  I  thought,  "is  how  beings  live  who  are  gifted 
with  occult  faculties." 

When  we  had  entered  a  small  antechamber,  which  was 
cold  and  gloomy,  our  guide,  who  was  the  seer's  domestic, 
bowed  without  proffering  a  word,  and  left  us  in  complete 
darkness. 

"Now,"  said  my  father-in-law,  "I  shall  give  the  proper 
sign!" 

He  knocked  three  times  in  quite  a  special  manner.  After 
a  moment's  waiting  we  heard  a  sepulchral  voice,  which 
uttered  but  these  three  words:  "Enter,  my  brother!" 

At  that  instant  I  began  to  tremble  like  a  leaf,  and  I  caught 
my  father-in-law's  arm. 

The  room  in  which  we  now  were  was  large  and  dim.  A 
small  lamp  furnished  with  a  shade  threw  a  feeble  light; 
the  lamp  was  standing  on  a  large  table  in  the  centre  of  the 
room  covered  with  a  black  cloth.  Seated  by  this  spe- 
cies of  desk,  an  old  man,  whose  strange  costume  reminded 
one  rather  of  the  Oriental  than  the  European,  was  read- 
ing attentively.  Absorbed  in  his  book,  the  man  did  not 
so  much  as  raise  his  eyes  at  our  approach.  He  wore  enor- 
mous spectacles,  his  white  hair  fell  over  his  shoulders,  and 
his  bent,  so  to  say  suffering,  posture  indicated  long  labours. 
A  wooden  inkstand,  a  death's  head,  and  a  pile  of  huge  folios 
heaped  on  the  table  completed  the  scenic  accessories. 

The  place  had  no  furniture,  the  walls  were  bare;  I  only 
noticed,  quite  at  the  end,  a,  great  curtain  of  black  cloth, 
which  covered  the  whole  of  the  back  wall  and  seemed  to 


48  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

conceal  something.  Near  by  was  a  convex  mirror  of  vast 
dimensions  mounted  in  a  black  wooden  frame. 

"It  is  there,"  thought  I,  "it  is  surely  in  that  mirror  that 
the  future  appears,  and  the  curtain  probably  veils  fantastic 
apparitions."  For  to  my  eyes  everything  wore  a  super- 
natural aspect. 

We  had  come  in  noiselessly. 

"Master !"  said  my  father-in-law  at  last,  and  the  old  man 
raised  his  head.  "Here  is  the  young  woman  I  mentioned 
to  you;  her  heart,  as  you  know,  is  full  of  chanty,  and  her 
spirit  eager  for  light;  but  as  she  yet  knows  neither  Greek 
nor  Latin,  vouchsafe  to  speak  to  her  in  French." 

The  seer  turned  to  me. 

"What  do  you  wish,  my  sister?"  he  said  in  the  gravest 
tone. 

What  I  certainly  wished  for  most  at  that  particular  mo- 
ment was  to  be  back  in  my  saloon,  with  the  candlesticks 
lighted,  in  the  midst  of  the  pleasant  company  awaiting  me 
there.  But  I  took  good  care  not  to  show  my  fright,  and 
merely  threw  my  father-in-law  a  supplicating  glance,  so  as 
he  might  help  me  to  say  what  /  was  supposed  to  wish. 

"She  knows,  master,  that  you  rule  over  nature,  that  your 
profound  knowledge  enables  you  to  see  everything,  and  that 
the  spirits  are  at  your  order.  She  would  therefore  like  to 
witness  one  of  those  marvels  in  which  you  are  proficient." 

The  old  man  bowed  his  head,  and  appeared  absorbed  in 
thought.  The  deepest  silence  once  more  prevailed.  Find- 
ing myself  near  the  folios,  I  mechanically  put  out  my  hand, 
with  the  thought  of  opening  one  of  the  volumes. 

"Do  not  touch  that!"  cried  the  little  man.  "You  would 
see  pictures  that  would  freeze  you  with  terror;  the  profane 
cannot  examine  the  contents  of  my  books  unimperilled !" 

This  rather  long  sentence  revealed  to  my  ear  the  sound 
of  a  not  unfamiliar  voice,  and  I  went  over  to  my  father- 
in-law  to  whisper  to  him: 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA 


49 


"That  is  absolutely  M.  de  R 's  voice." 

"That  is  true;  the  first  time  I  was  struck  by  it,  as  you 
are,"  he  replied  so  simply  as  to  leave  me  no  suspicion. 

"What  does  the  sister  say?"  asked  the  old  man. 

"She  admires  the  grave  and  majestic  sound  of  your 
voice,"  answered  my  father-in-law. 

The  seer  bowed  with  apparent  humility,  like  a  man  from 
whom  the  awe  he  instils  has  wrested  the  avowal  of  a  rash 
promise. 

"Since  the  brother  demands,"  he  said,  "and  since  he  is 
answerable  for  you,  my  sister,  speak  freely :  what  do  you 
ask  to  see  ?  The  beasts  of  the  Apocalypse,  the  dead,  or  the 
absent?" 

I  felt  faint  at  the  bare  idea  of  the  dead  and  the  beasts, 
and  I  replied :  "The  absent." 

"I  warn  you,"  resumed  the  seer,  "that  my  power  does 
not  reach  beyond  the  seas,  and  that  it  only  extends  over  a 
surface  of  twelve  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty  leagues. 
From  this  decide  whom  you  wish  to  see  appear." 

My  affections  being  concentrated  on  a  single  spot  of  the 
globe,  I  excused  him  twelve  thousand  six  hundred  and 
thirty  leagues,  and  asked  to  see  my  mother,  my  husband, 
and  my  friend  Madame  Sobolewska. 

"Very  well.  But  you  are  not  yet  an  adept,  and  you  can 
therefore,"  he  gravely  went  on,  "not  witness  the  preliminary 
ceremonies.  Retire  to  the  adjoining  room  for  a  minute." 

Whether  I  liked  it  or  not,  I  was  obliged  to  return  to  the 
cold  and  gloomy  antechamber  we  had  passed  through  on 
our  arrival.  It  was  the  last  trial,  and  not  the  least!  To 
be  left  thus  alone,  after  the  emotions  I  had  gone  through, 
seemed  to  be  beyond  my  strength.  Propped  up  against  the 
door,  I  began  to  reproach  myself  with  an  apparently  crim- 
inal inquisitiveness,  and,  fervently  praying  to  my  good 
angel  to  protect  me,  I  promised  him  faithfully  never  to  try 
anything  of  the  kind  again. 


50  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

After  a  few  minutes  my  father-in-law  opened  the  door, 
and  called  me  in. 

"Sister,  you  shall  be  satisfied !  But  I  warn  you,  that  if 
you  take  one  step  or  speak  one  word  the  charm  will  be 
broken  and  everything  will  disappear.  Now  attend  care- 
fully. You  will  see  those  who  are  dear  to  you,  and  in  the 
very  place  where  they  are  at  this  hour." 

After  delivering  this  speech  with  imposing  solemnity, 
the  old  man  clapped  his  hands  three  times.  The  black  cur- 
tain I  had  noticed  when  we  came  in  opened  as  if  by  itself, 
and  through  a  thin  mist  I  saw  the  box  I  had  lately  left  and 
the  three  people  mentioned,  who  bore  the  appearance  of  lis- 
tening attentively,  as  though  the  play,  of  which  I  had  only 
seen  the  first  act,  was  not  yet  over.  The  features,  the  dress, 
the  gestures,  all,  in  fact,  was  so  perfectly  exact  that  I  could 
not  suppress  a  cry  of  astonishment.  The  curtain  fell,  and 
I  heard  shouts  of  laughter. 

"I  declare!"  said  my  father-in-law,  "you  have  exhibited 
such  bravery  that  you  cannot  be  refused  complete  initia- 
tion into  all  the  witchcraft  practised  in  this  house.  Come." 

And  drawing  me  to  the  mysterious  curtain,  he  opened  it ; 
and  I  saw,  not  through  a  mist,  but  quite  distinctly,  a  lav- 
ishly bedecked  table,  lit  up  with  a  hundred  candles,  about 
which  all  our  friends  were  supping  jovially.  I  was  dumb 
with  amazement. 

They  got  up,  they  surrounded  me,  they  asked  me  what 
I  thought  of  my  taste  for  the  marvellous. 

The  marvellous !  I  could  not  speak,  I  did  not  know  what 
to  reply.  I  was  unable  to  distinguish  the  reality  from  the 
imitation. 

"But  where  are  we?"  I  asked  at  last. 

"In  the  house  of  M.  M ,  who  is  away  from  home. 

You  have  come  by  a  thousand  turns;  you  have  even  been 
outside  the  town." 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  51 

"And  the  mysterious  entrance?" 

"A  little  back  staircase  which  you  had  never  been  up." 

"And  the  seer?" 

"M.  de  R — ! — ;  you  were  on  the  point  of  recognising 
him  by  his  voice." 

"And  the  mist?" 

"Gauze." 

"And  the  box?" 

"Painted  on  paper." 

"And  the  large  folios  I  was  not  allowed  to  touch?" 

"The  Journey  to  Naples  and  Sicily." 

"And  the  banquet?" 

"Your  savings  of  a  hundred  ducats  devoted  to  the  seer's 
charities." 

"But  then  my  father-in-law's  fits  of  abstraction?" 

"A  long  prepared  hoax." 

The  cleverest,  the  most  surprising  thing  in  all  this  de- 
ception was  to  have  calculated  the  degree  of  my  courage 
and  of  my  affections  so  well,  and  to  have  guessed  in  ad- 
vance that  I  should  not  trouble  the  repose  of  the  dead,  and 
that  I  should  want  to  call  up  the  very  people  my  friends 
had  thought  of. 

My  mother  and  my  husband  had  not  been  admitted  into 
the  secret  of  the  preparations;  it  was  only  coming  away 
from  the  play  that  my  mother-in-law  apprised  them  of  the 
place  to  go  to,  and  of  what  was  to  happen.  It  had  been 
justly  feared  that  their  solicitude  might  lead  them  to  betray 
a  mystery  on  which  the  success  of  the  supper  party  depended, 
and  which  was  not  without  a  useful  object.  I  learnt  how 
easy  it  is  to  lead  the  imagination  astray  and  to  abuse  cre- 
dulity, as  I  am  sure  that  had  I  left  at  the  instant  the  cur- 
tain fell,  and  had  I  been  taken  home  by  the  same  circuitous 
way  that  I  had  come,  it  would  afterwards  have  been  difficult 
to  guide  me  to  a  proper  appreciation  of  things  of  the  kind. 


52  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

I  should  have  remained  convinced  that  seers  have  intimate 
relations  with  spirits,  and  that  nothing  supernatural  is  im- 
possible to  them. 

I  was  not  at  all  piqued  at  having  been  tricked;  quite  the 
contrary,  no  one  enjoyed  it  more.  But  that  evening  brought 
me  an  immeasurable  series  of  revelations.  For  at  least  a 
fortnight  I  must  perforce  relate  to  those  who  had  not  been 
there  the  details  of  the  whole  proceedings,  explain  to  some, 
reassure  others,  repeat  the  same  thing  ten  times  a  day,  say 
the  same  names  over  and  over.  I  thought  it  would  kill  me, 
and  was  finally  tempted  to  answer  like  one  of  Prince  Radzi- 
will's  familiars,  who,  called  to  witness  by  that  notorious 
joker  to  prove  that  the  prince  had  taken  part  in  a  famous 
battle,  said :  "I  could  scarcely  guarantee  the  fact,  my  Lord 
Prince,  having  been  killed  in  the  beginning  of  the  action." 
During  said  battle  the  prince,  seeing  his  ammunition  would 
fail,  picked  up  the  balls  that  came  after  him  with  his  hands, 
and  immediately  loaded  the  cannons  with  them,  so  as  to 
send  them  back  to  the  enemy  hot.  This  same  Radziwill, 
who  was  living  in  Paris  at  the  commencement  of  Louis 
XV. 's  reign,  created  a  great  sensation  by  his  extravagances. 
He  never  bought  but  half  or  quarter  of  a  shop,  saying  it 
took  too  much  time  to  select,  and  that  it  was  shorter  to 
throw  the  things  you  did  not  wrant  out  of  the  window  after- 
wards. The  grateful  Parisians  gave  his  name  to  an  arcade 
which  still  exists. 

The  rest  of  the  winter  passed  quietly,  without  any  re- 
markable occurrences,  unless  for  myself,  \vhose  yet  novel 
mode  of  life  was  composed  of  a  thousand  little  happenings 
which  cling  to  the  memory  in  the  ratio  of  the  impression 
they  made. 

Though  living  with  our  parents,  we  had  separate  house- 
holds. I  therefore  thought  it  quite  allowable  to  invite 
guests,  and  occasionally  to  gather  about  me  the  people  I 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  53 

liked  best.  We  were  so  considerate  as  to  take  the  days 
when  my  mother-in-law  was  not  alone,  and  we  believed  she 
would  raise  no  objections  to  our  little  parties,  where  the 
oldest  guest  was  under  thirty.  Alas,  it  was  not  so!  She 
was  piqued,  and  thought  she  saw  an  impolite  exclusion  in 
what  was  simply  a  desire  to  be  rid  of  ceremony  and  enjoy 
the  pleasures  of  people  of  our  own  age.  Had  she  expressed 
herself  openly,  we  would  readily  have  sacrificed  those  brief 
hours  of  boisterous  jollity;  but  she  was  angry  in  silence, 
and  from  that  time  a  kind  of  constraint  sprang  up  between 
us  which  never  vanished. 

The  1 7th  of  March,  after  twenty-eight  hours  of  the  keen- 
est sufferings,  I  brought  a  son  into  the  world,  whose  birth, 
so  ardently  desired,  crowned  my  hopes. 

Since  then  I  have  had  two  children,  but  never  have  I 
again  felt  the  sensation  which  the  first  cry  of  that  first  child 
gave  me.  My  joy  was  a  fever  which  for  some  minutes 
obliterated  my  sense  of  weakness;  I  tried  to  get  up  to  go 
over  to  look  at  my  son.  But  I  fell  back  exhausted  by  the 
extreme  pains  I  had  gone  through.  Young  and  strong,  I 
quickly  recovered,  and  the  ninth  day,  stretched  out  on  my 
sofa,  I  received  the  usual  visits  of  congratulation. 

It  seemed  as  though  my  happiness  was  assured  for  the 
future  by  the  birth  of  an  heir,  Alas !  with  health  the  petty 
bickerings  returned,  and  we  finally  concluded  that  although 
we  were  very  well  off  with  our  relatives,  it  would  be  best 
to  be  at  home.  It  was  at  this  time  that  we  went  to  reside 
at  Natoline,  and  that  I  began  to  take  an  interest  in  that 
delightful  country-seat. 

I  did  so  most  ardently.  I  sketched  out  all  the  plans; 
I  entered  into  all  the  details.  Without  having  seen  them, 
I  pictured  Italy  and  Greece.  My  father-in-law  was  my 
mentor,  and  seemed  proud  of  having  made  an  artiste  of  me. 
From  that  moment  I  abandoned  all  other  fancies,  and  my 


54  COUNTESS    POTOCKA1 

pride  and  my  ambition  were  concentrated  upon  Natoline,that 
little  gem  which  to  me  seemed  worthy  of  immortality. 

When  we  were  short  of  money  I  sold  some  of  my  dia- 
monds, so  as  to  buy  bronzes  and  marbles.  My  husband 
appeared  to  share  my  tastes,  and,  though  rather  cold  and 
unenthusiastic,  took  pride  in  my  purchases. 

Happy  months,  when  sleepless  nights  were  never  due  to 
anything  but  a  rioting  imagination !  How  often  did  I  dream 
with  open  eyes!  How  impatiently  did  I  await  daybreak, 
so  that  I  might  jot  down  on  paper  the  ideas  that  had  origi- 
nated in  the  calm  of  the  night ! 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  EMPEROR  ALEXANDER  AT  WILLANOW 

1805 

AN  UNEXPECTED  GUEST — PRINCE  ADAM  CZARTORYSKI — THE 
DINNER — ALEXANDER'S    CONVERSATION — THE    VISITORS' 

BOOK. 

ONE  evening,  as  we  were  quietly  drinking  tea  by  our  fire- 
side, a  letter  was  handed  to  my  husband.  As  its  contents 
evidently  surprised  him,  I  insisted  on  knowing  its  source. 
He  told  me  to  guess  who  the  stranger  was  that  was  an- 
nounced for  the  next  day.  Well  might  I  try;  I  could  not 
guess. 

How,  indeed,  could  I  have  imagined  that  it  was  the  Em- 
peror Alexander  and  his  train  whom  we  were  to  prepare 
to  receive? 

The  more  sovereigns  I  saw,  the  more  I  became  convinced 
that  they  have  no  inkling  of  the  inconvenience  and  em- 
barrassment they  stir  up.  From  the  cradle  up  they  hear 
so  much  of  the  bliss  they  shower  on  those  who  receive  them, 
that  they  do  not  in  the  least  imagine  what  a  nuisance  their 
visits  are. 

Our  servants  did  wonders.  The  proximity  of  a  large 
town  being  of  assistance  in  an  impromptu  of  this  sort,  they 

55 


56  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

succeeded  beyond  our  expectations,  and  at  two  o'clock  all 
was  ready. 

I  had  invited  my  uncle,  Prince  Poniatowski,  as  well  as 
his  sister,  Countess  Tyszkiewicz,  begging  them  to  help  me 
do  the  honours  at  this  royal  banquet — me,  poor  novice,  who 
was  to  begin  with  an  autocrat ! 

The  emperor  arrived  at  four  o'clock.  He  was  young 
and  handsome ;  but,  although  he  had  a  very  good  figure,  he 
seemed  to  me  elegantly  turned  rather  than  nobly  and  im- 
posingly. His  manner  lacked  the  sort  of  ease  which  one 
expected.  He  appeared  to  be  constrained;  his  excessive 
politeness  had  something  commonplace  about  it;  and  every- 
thing, to  the  starchness  of  the  tightest  of  uniforms,  lent 
him  the  air  of  a  charming  officer  much  more  than  that  .of 
a  young  ruler. 

Prince  Adam  Czartoryski,  a  son  of  the  Prince  General's, 
accompanied  Alexander.  It  was  said  that  the  emperor,  in- 
fluenced by  this  friend,  who  knew  no  affection  but  love  of 
his  country,  had  inspired  the  autocrat  with  the  resolve 
to  set  Poland  up  again.  What  there  is  no  doubt  of  is 
that  the  Prussians,  then  masters  of  Warsaw,  would  not 
allow  the  emperor  to  pass  through  the  town,  for  fear  of  the 
enthusiasm  his  presence  might  evoke  at  a  moment  when  it 
was  openly  affirmed  that  he  was  about  to  declare  himself 
King  of  Poland.  And  that  it  was  which  secured  us  the 
honour  of  his  visit. 

The  Prussian  General  Kalkreuth,  the  commandant  at 
Warsaw,  had  been  ordered  to  go  to  meet  Alexander,  and 
escort  him  back  to  the  frontier — a  supererogatory  cere- 
mony which  blinded  no  one,  and  made  every  one  laugh. 

I  do  not  remember  how  my  husband  arrived  at  His  Maj- 
esty's wishes  with  regard  to  the  persons  who  were  to  sit  at 
his  table.  Anyhow,  only  Prince  Czartoryski  and  General 
Kalkreuth  had  that  honour.  The  rest  of  the  staff  dined  in 


EMPEROR  ALEXANDER  I.  OF  RUSSIA. 

From  an  engraving  of  iSob,  by  Hopivotul. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  57 

a  separate  room.  Prince  Poniatowski  having  sent  his  ex- 
cuses, my  aunt  came  without  him.  We  were  therefore  only 
six  at  table. 

A  place  had  been  laid  in  solitude  at  the  head  of  the  table. 
The  emperor  seemed  put  out  about  it,  and  pushed  his  arm- 
chair close  to  my  seat.  He  ate  little  and  talked  a  great 
deal.  His  conversation  was  simple  and  reserved;  it  was 
not  to  be  gathered  that  his  resources  were  great,  but  it  was 
impossible  not  to  allow  him  elevation  of  sentiment  and  in- 
finite tact.  The  events  which  brought  him  were  scarcely 
hinted  at,  and  his  few  remarks  on  the  subject  were  very 
guarded.  The  generals  composing  his  staff  were  not  so 
modest ;  they  asked  us  for  commissions  to  do  in  Paris,  think- 
ing that  their  conquests  and  their  triumphs  would  stop  only 
there.  But  a  month  after  our  illustrious  host's  departure  we 
learnt  that  he  had  been  beaten  at  Austerlitz,  and  had  re- 
treated in  a  continuous  march  to  St.  Petersburg. 

To  go  back  to  the  dinner,  which  was  a  very  prolonged 
affair:  Alexander  could  not  hear  distinctly,  and,  like  all 
young  deaf  people,  affected  a  very  low  tone  of  speech. 
You  did  not  venture  to  make  him  repeat  what  he  had  said, 
out  of  respect,  so  you  generally  answered  at  random. 

After  passing  into  the  drawing-room  he  remained  there 
a  good  two  hours,  standing  up  the  whole  time.  It  was 
asserted  his  clothes  were  so  tight  that  any  other  attitude 
was  uncomfortable.  About  midnight  he  finally  retired, 
choosing  the  simplest  rooms  made  ready  for  his  reception. 

The  next  day  we  had  to  rise  early,  to  take  part  at  His 
Majesty's  breakfast,  and  go  through  the  leave-taking.  My 
health  was  not  at  all  suited  for  all  these  exertions.  About 
to  enter  his  carriage,  the  emperor  most  affably  asked  me 
if  there  was  no  way  of  expressing  his  thanks. 

I  had  a  strong  notion,  seeing  him  so  well  disposed,  to  ask 
for  Poland.  But  a  look  from  my  husband,  who  had  guessed 


58  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

my  thoughts,  checked  that  patriotic  outburst,  and  sent  me 
back  to  the  limits  prescribed  by  custom  'and  by  etiquette, 
which  does  not  lend  itself  to  any  species  of  improvisation, 
and  one  of  the  most  positive  precepts  of  which  is  never  to 
ask  princes  for  anything  they  have  not  beforehand  decided 
not  to  refuse. 

So  we  had  to  content  ourselves  with  asking  Alexander  to 
inscribe  his  name  in  the  large  visitors'  book  at  Willanow, 
where  all  strangers  commemorate  themselves.  He  was 
good  enough  to  sign  his  name  on  the  first  page.  Little  did 
we  think  that  the  name  of  Napoleon  would  soon  be  written 
next  to  the  Emperor  of  Russia's. 


GENERAL  KALKREUTH. 

From  an  oLi  engraving. 


THE  FRENCH  AT  WARSAW 

1806 — 1807 


THE  VANGUARD 

END    OF    THE    WAR    WITH    PRUSSIA ENTRY    OF    A    FRENCH 

REGIMENT  INTO  WARSAW M.  DE  F T MURAT BALL 

GIVEN   BY   PRINCE   PONIATOWSKI MURAT's    PLUME. 

THE  first  summer  of  our  residence  in  the  country  sped 
by  extremely  fast,  absorbed  as  we  were  in  innumer- 
able tasks  and  schemes.  We  returned  to  Warsaw  about 
the  end  of  October. 

Daily  newspapers  not  being,  as  they  are  to-day,  one  of 
the  prime  necessities  of  life,  very  few  people  subscribed. 
On  post  days  the  gates  of  the  privileged  were  besieged  by 
all  who  were  curious  to  know  what  was  going  to  become 
of  the  Prussian  monarchy. 

No  one  doubted  Napoleon's  star  for  an  instant.  He  was 
certain  to  come  back  victorious  from  this  campaign,  as  he 
had  from  all  the  others;  but  nobody  expected  so  prompt  a 
triumph  over  an  army  which  gloried  in  its  unbroken  disci- 
pline and  its  recent  successes.  From  that  moment  the  anni- 
hilation of  Prussia  and  the  re-establishment  of  Poland 
seemed  a  probable  result  to  the  wisest. 

The  public  disguised  its  sentiments  and  hopes  so  little 

61 


62  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

that  the  Prussians,  the  detested  masters  of  a  country  they 
had  not  conquered,  but  which  had  fallen  to  them  in  the  Par- 
tition of  1795,  could  not  be  mistaken  as  to  the  feelings  the 
events  called  forth.  Nevertheless,  it  must  be  acknowledged 
that  no  one  was  interfered  with.  The  Prussian  authorities 
contented  themselves  with  intercepting  as  much  news  as  pos- 
sible. Newspapers  were  stopped,  letters  burnt,  the  trium- 
phal march  of  the  French  army  was  carefully  kept  from 
us;  but  the  glorious  echo  of  the  victory  of  Jena  and  Napo- 
leon's entry  into  Berlin  could  not  be  stifled  for  long. 

Henceforth  every  brain  was  heated,  and  no  further  efforts 
were  made  to  conceal  our  delight.  The  restaurants  were 
filled  with  ebullient  youths,  who,  clinking  glasses,  sang 
patriotic  songs,  and  shouted  for  their  liberators  and  their 
brothers. 

General  Kalkreuth,  the  commandant  of  the  town,  having 
become  secretly  apprised  that  the  emperor  had  left  Berlin 
and  was  marching  upon  Posen,  despatched  a  courier  in  full 
haste  to  get  instructions,  for,  being  forgotten  amid  all  the 
confusion,  he  was  in  a  very  awkward  situation.  All  the 
while  planning  his  retreat,  he  contrived  so  well  to  keep  the 
movements  of  the  Grand  Army  wrapt  in  mystery  that  we 
learnt  of  the  departure  from -Berlin  and  Napoleon's  entry 
into  Posen  almost  the  same  day. 

That  was  the  signal  of  retreat  for  the  Prussian  authori- 
ties, who  decamped  from  Warsaw,  hooted  by  the  street  boys, 
and  went  to  join  the  Russians  encamped  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Vistula.  The  King  of  Prussia  wrote  to  Prince  Ponia- 
towski,  naming  him  governor  of  the  town  and  commander 
of  a  national  guard  that  did  not  exist.  He  begged  him  to 
watch  over  the  safety  of  the  inhabitants,  asseverating  that 
he  knew  of  no  worthier  hands  within  which  to  place  such 
important  interests.  But  the  Prussians,  not  having  left  a 
single  musket  behind,  the  prince  was  reduced  to  arm  a  hun- 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  63 

dred  fellows  as  well  as  he  could,  and  they,  with  their  pikes 
and  loaded  sticks,  installed  themselves  in  the  guard  houses. 
This  state  of  affairs  lasted  but  a  few  days. 

The  2  ist  of  November,  in  the  morning,  the  arrival  of  a 
French  regiment  was  announced.  How  shall  I  describe  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  it  was  received?  To  understand 
such  emotions  properly  one  must  have  lost  everything  and 
believe  in  the  possibility  of  hoping  for  everything — like  our- 
selves. This  handful  of  warriors,  when  they  set  foot  on  our 
soil,  seemed  to  us  a  guarantee  of  the  independence  we  were 
expecting  at  the  hands  of  the  great  man  whom  nothing 
could  resist. 

The  popular  intoxication  was  at  its  height;  the  whole 
town  was  lit  up  as  if  by  magic.  That  day,  forsooth,  the 
authorities  had  no  need  to  allot  quarters  to  the  new  arrivals ; 
people  fought  for  them,  carried  them  off,  vied  with  each 
other  in  treating  them  best.  Those  of  the  citizens  who 
knew  no  French,  not  being  able  to  make  themselves  under- 
stood, borrowed  the  dumb  language  which  belongs  to  all 
countries,  and,  by  signs  of  delight,  handshakings,  and  bursts 
of  glee,  made  their  guests  comprehend  that  they  freely 
offered  them  all  the  house  contained,  the  cellar  included. 

Tables  were  even  laid  in  the  streets  and  squares.  Our 
future  independence,  the  brave  army,  the  great  Napoleon, 
were  toasted  many  a  time.  There  was  embracing  and  fra- 
ternising and  a  little  too  much  drinking,  for  the  soldiers 
ended  by  giving  way  to  excesses  which  momentarily  cooled 
the  ardour  which  had  prompted  their  reception. 

The  next  day  Murat,  then  Grand  Duke  of  Berg,  made 
his  entry  on  horseback.  A  quantity  of  plumes  were  to  be 
seen,  braided  uniforms,  gold  and  silver  lace,  etc.  Lodg- 
ings had  been  prepared  for  him  at  the  Hotel  Raczynski; 
but,  being  uncomfortable  there  on  account  of  a  smoking 
chimney,  he  came  to  settle  in  our  house. 


64 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE 


I  was  very  anxious  to  see  a  Frenchman.  Those  who  had 
come  the  day  before  did  not  count;  we  only  saw  them  as  a 
crowd.  The  supper  hour  having  struck,  my  father-in-law, 
Count  Potocki,  sent  a  request  to  His  Highness'  adjutants 
to  come  up.  To  my  great  disappointment,  these  gentlemen 
declined ;  they  never  supped. 

But  scarcely  had  we  sat  down  at  table  when  a  noise  of 
sabres  and  spurs  came  from  the  next  room,  and  we  saw  a 
hussar  officer  enter,  who  advanced  with  an  eagerness  one 
only  exhibits  towards  good  friends. 

"Ah!  It  is  Charles!"  exclaimed  my  husband,  who  had 
known  him  in  Paris,  and,  after  embracing  him,  presented 
him  to  us. 

The  name  was  not  new  to  me;  I  had  heard  M.  de 

F 1  spoken  of  as  a  very  seductive  man,  who  had  excited 

a  deep  passion  in  one  of  my  most  distinguished  country- 
women. 

Sensible  women  pay  little  attention  to  successful  men,  or 
at  least  are  on  their  guard  against  them.  Those  who  are 
less  sensible,  and  who  rely  on  their  principles,  on  the  other 
hand,  find  a  certain  pleasure  in  braving  such  men.  I  ac- 
knowledge without  further  ado  that  I  was  one  of  these.  I 
therefore  felt  greatly  displeased  at  being  caught  unawares, 
and  at  not  being  well  dressed.  I  bowed  my  head,  deter- 
mined not  to  be  seen  and  not  to  look;  but  the  sound  of  a 
voice  the  like  of  which  I  had  never  heard  shook  that  resolve, 
and  I  raised  my  eyes  to  look  at  the  face  of  the  man  who  spoke 
so  harmoniously.  He  is,  I  believe,  the  only  person  I  have 
chanced  to  hear  before  seeing. 

Charles  was  twenty-one  or  twenty-two;  without  being 
really  handsome,  he  had  a  charming  face,  which  was  veiled 
with  a  melancholy  that  seemed  to  betray  a  secret  sorrow. 
His  manners  were  elegant  without  fatuity,  his  conversation 
clever,  his  opinions  independent;  no  one  ever  more  fully 
realised  the  idea  one  has  of  the  hero  of  a  romance  and  of  a 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  65 

true  knight.  And  his  mother,  Madame  de  Souza,  used  him 
as  a  type  that  she  reproduced  under  different  names  in  her 
delightful  novels. 

He  spent  a  part  of  the  evening  with  us.  He  was  be- 
sieged with  questions  as  to  this  remarkable  campaign,  fin- 
ished in  a  few  days. 

His  answers  were  in  the  best  taste,  without  the  least 
swagger;  he  understood  the  art  of  conversation  like  a  real 
Frenchman,  never  exhausting  one's  interest,  passing  from 
one  subject  to  another  smoothly  yet  not  too  slowly.  To- 
wards the  end  of  the  evening  I  was  drawn  into  the  talk;  I 
thought  to  perceive  that  he  listened  to  me  with  pleasure,  and 
I  confess  I  was  flattered. 

Two  days  after  his  arrival  Prince  Murat,  having  sent  to 
me  to  announce  his  visit,  in  the  evening  came  up  with  a 
numerous  attendance.  His  face  was  without  nobility  and 
entirely  devoid  of  expression.  He  had  the  majestic  air  of 
actors  who  are  playing  kings.  It  was  easily  seen  that  his 
manners  were  sham,  and  that  he  usually  had  others.  He 
did  not  talk  badly,  for  he  watched  himself  carefully;  but 
his  Gascon  accent  and  some  too  soldierlike  phrases  belied 
the  "prince"  a  little.  He  was  fond  of  telling  of  his  feats 
of  arms,  and  talked  war  to  us  for  over  an  hour. 

The  taking  of  Liibeck  was  his  favourite  theme:  he  had 
entered  that  place  at  the  head  of  his  cavalry,  like  one  going 
to  an  assault.  It  was  a  fine  exploit,  was  that,  but  rather 
unpleasant  to  hear  related.  Blood  ran  in  the  streets,  horses 
reared  at  the  heaps  of  dead  bodies.  This  too  faithful  pic- 
ture of  war  was  not  comforting  to  us  poor  women,  who 
were  to  see  all  those  we  were  most  deeply  interested  in 
rushing  to  arms. 

Murat  had  already  contracted  princely  habits;  he  did  not 
converse,  he  talked,  flattering  himself  that  you  listened,  if 
not  with  approbation  at  least  with  respectful  deference. 

Rising  at  last  and  bowing  with  dignity,  he  said  he  would 


66  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

return  to  his  study,  to  examine  the  map  of  Poland  and  the 
positions  of  the  Russian  army. 

A  few  days  later  there  was  a  grand  ball  at  the  palace. 
Murat,  desirous  of  showing  himself  off,  had  told  Prince 
Poniatowski  that,  having  heard  of  the  beauty  of  the  Polish 
ladies,  he  wanted  to  judge  of  them  for  himself.  My  uncle 
gave  a  magnificent  party.  I  was  indisposed,  and  could  not 
go,  but  my  friends  brought  me  all  the  news  post  haste. 
The  prince  had  appeared  in  full  uniform.  I  afterwards  saw 
him  in  this  somewhat  theatrical  costume,  such  as  was  suited 
to  a  prince  of  his  blood.  There  was  nothing  to  be  admired 
about  it  all  except  his  plume — that  tri-coloured  plume  which 
was  always  seen  floating  where  there  was  menace  of  dan- 
ger !  And  the  Poles,  fascinated  by  such  valour,  would  have 
willingly  put  a  crown  over  that  glorious  plume ! 

We  never  knew  if  Napoleon  had  held  out  a  hope  of  this 
kind  to  his  brother-in-law,  but  it  is  known  that  Murat  en- 
tertained this  hope,  and  was  pleased  to  compare  Sobieski's 
fortunes  with  his  own.  It  was  always  one  of  his  favourite 
topics  of  conversation ;  he  recurred  to  it  incessantly,  and 
wanted  to  be  informed  of  everything  relating  to  the  rise  of 
that  soldier-king. 


CHAPTER  II 
NAPOLEON'S  ENTRY  INTO  WARSAW 

THE    TRIUMVIRATE THE    PREPARATIONS SECRET    ARRIVAL 

OF   THE    EMPEROR THE    OFFICIAL    RECEPTION. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  the  emperor  had  reached 
Posen  it  was  decided  to  send  a  deputation  to  meet  him.  This 
was  no  easy  matter.  All  persons  of  distinction  were  at 
their  country  places  awaiting  the  issue  of  events.  More- 
over, the  people  whose  property  was  under  the  Emperor  of 
Russia's  control  also  held  aloof;  they  profited  by  the  expe- 
rience of  the  past,  and  knew  that  a  decree  of  confiscation 
would  be  the  inevitable  result  of  an  imprudent  action. 

The  difficulty  was  solved  by  improvising  a  rather  inferior 
triumvirate,  to  be  sent  to  anticipate  the  conqueror.  His 
eagle  eye  quickly  detected  the  standing  of  this  deputation, 
whom  he  addressed  in  the  most  ordinary  terms,  not  in  the 
least  calculated  to  sustain  the  hopes  to  which  his  coming 
had  given  birth.  Prince  Murat  gave  the  authorities  to  un- 
derstand that  the  emperor  would  appear  with  a  certain 
degree  of  pomp,  if  only  to  send  a  brilliant  article  to  the 
"Moniteur."  Triumphal  arches  were  speedily  constructed, 
illuminations  were  got  ready,  inscriptions  were  composed, 
wreaths  were  plaited.  All  these  preparations  were  super- 
fluous. Napoleon  amused  himself  with  disappointing  the 

67 


68  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

general  expectancy ;  he  arrived  at  four  in  the  morning  on  a 
shabby  horse  he  had  got  at  the  last  relay  station. 

It  may  readily  be  imagined  what  alarm  this  occurrence 
caused  at  the  palace,  where  all  were  wrapt  in  deepest  slum- 
bers. The  emperor  went  to  the  sentry  box  himself,  to 
wake  up  the  sentinel,  who  gave  the  proper  signal.  The 
commotion  was  all  the  worse  as  the  repairs  it  had  been 
necessary  to  undertake  in  the  palace,  uninhabited  for  many 
years,  were  not  finished. 

Most  luckily,  the  apartments  of  the  last  king,  left  intact, 
seemed  but  to  be  awaiting  the  new  guest.  This  part  of  the 
palace,  built  in  the  reign  of  Stanislaus  Augustus,  bears  that 
stamp  of  perfection  that  escapes  the  havoc  of  time  and  the 
tyranny  of  fashion. 

The  emperor  had  allowed  no  one  but  Rustan,  his  Mame- 
luke, to  accompany  him.  The  carriages  had  been  left  stick- 
ing in  the  mud — there  were  as  yet  no  highroads,  and  the 
crossroads  were  impassable  at  that  season. 

No  sooner  arrived,  than  the  emperor  had  it  given  out  that 
he  would  interview  the  authorities  in  the  evening,  and  also 
persons  who  had  the  right  to  be  presented  to  him. 

I  still  feel  some  emotion  at  the  recollection  of  the  impa- 
tience with  which  we  waited  for  those  who  had  just  been 
admitted  to  the  palace.  My  father-in-law  was  at  the  head 
of  the  official  delegation.  He  returned  at  ten  o'clock  at 
night,  less  pleased  and  more  astonished  than  I  could  explain. 

Napoleon  had  spoken  with  the  volubility  and  prolixity 
which,  in  him,  indicated  a  sort  of  nervous  excitement.  He 
had  talked  a  lot,  without,  however,  saying  anything  en- 
couraging. I  dare  even  say  that,  on  reflection,  he  would 
have  liked  to  withdraw  sundry  remarks  that  escaped  him. 

After  expatiating  on  what  he  had  recently  accomplished 
in  Prussia,  minutely  detailing  the  motives  which  had  urged 
that  war  upon  him,  he  dwelt  on  the  tremendous  obstacles 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  69 

to  be  overcome  in  order  that  so  large  an  army  might  advance 
and  be  supplied  with  sufficient  food. 

"But,"  he  added,  in  conclusion,  "no  matter !"  And,  put- 
ting his  hands,  into  his  pockets,  he  added:  "I  have  the 
Frenchmen  there !  By  appealing  to  their  imagination  I  can 
do  what  I  like  with  them!" 

A  sort  of  silent  surprise  depicted  itself  on  the  faces  of  all 
his  hearers. 

After  a  pause  he  added:  "Yes — yes — it's  just  as  I  tell 
you!" 

And,  taking  a  pinch  of  snuff,  to  recover  his  breath, 
he  resumed  his  ardent  discourse.  He  launched  out  vio- 
lently against  the  Polish  magnates,  who,  in  his  opinion,  did 
not  manifest  enough  zeal  and  patriotism.  He  cried : 

"There  must  be  devotion  and  sacrifices  and  blood! 
Otherwise,  you  will  never  come  to  anything!" 

But  in  all  this  flow  of  words,  not  one  passed  his  lips 
which  might  have  been  construed  as  a  promise.  Conse- 
quently, the  most  sensible  came  back  unsatisfied  from  this 
audience,  but  resolved  to  do  anything  that  honour  and  love 
of  country  dictated. 

Henceforth  military  organisation,  recruiting,  etc.,  were 
all  the  talk. 

Everything  in  reason  was  given  up,  and  the  little  retained 
the  French  took  by  force. 

Whatever  Napoleon  may  have  said  about  the  lack  of  zeal 
of  the  magnates,  I  can  assert  that  never  in  any  country  were 
such  tremendous  sacrifices  so  cheerfully  rendered. 

Hardly  a  day  elapsed  which  did  not  bring  the  news  of 
some  voluntary  offer,  some  patriotic  gift.  When  the  money 
was  exhausted  we  sent  our  plate  to  the  mint.  In  the  can- 
tonments the  officers'  expenses  were  defrayed  by  the  agri- 
cultural proprietors. 

A  rich  gentleman,  who  had  wished  to  do  the  magnificent 


yo 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA 


to  one  of  the  most  famous  marshals,  was  not  a  little  sur- 
prised to  hear,  the  next  day,  that  his  silver  had  disappeared 
with  the  hero's  vans.  This  was  considered  too  much  of  a 
good  joke,  and  reported  to  the  emperor,  who,  indignant  at 
such  conduct  in  a  friendly  country,  at  once  ordered  the 
restitution  of  the  plate,  and  put  the  abstraction  down  to  the 
account  of  the  people  of  the  marshal's  household,  who  were 
quite  unused  to  being  reckoned  with  in  this  manner. 


CHAPTER  III 

FIRST  HOSTILITIES 

PRINCE  BORGHESE THE  SICK  CHILD DEVOTION  OF  M.  DE 

F T — SAVARY'S  IDEA — PULTUSK — RECEPTION  AT  THE 

PALACE PRESENTATION  TO  THE  EMPEROR. 

I  WAS  in  the  habit  of  receiving  a  number  of  French  people. 
My  husband  always  took  part  in  these  gatherings,  and 
helped  me  to  do  the  honours. 

Sometimes  we  played  cards,  oftener  we  conversed. 
Prince  Borghese,  the  emperor's  brother-in-law,  was  one  of 
our  frequent  visitors,  but  no  one  took  any  notice  of  him. 
I  shall  never  forget  how,  in  the  short  periods  in  which  the 
conversation  became  a  little  serious,  he  went  for  some  chairs, 
arranged  them  two  by  two  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  and 
amused  himself  by  humming  tunes  and  dancing  square 
dances  with  these  mute  supers. 

My  son  August  in  the  meanwhile  fell  ill.  The  whole 
house  was  disorganised;  I  was  separated  from  my  child. 
He  occupied  one  of  the  wings  of  the  house  adjoining  the 
apartments  given  up  to  Prince  Murat's  adjutants ;  to  see  my 
poor  child,  I  had  to  cross  the  courtyard.  It  was  the  month 
of  December;  the  short  walk,  become  dangerous  because 
the  pathway  was  slippery,  had  been  strictly  forbidden  me 
on  account  of  my  condition.  Unable  to  see  my  son  at  any 
moment,  I  imagined  him  far  worse  than  he  was,  and,  not 


72  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

being  disposed  to  join  in  the  pleasures  of  the  others,  I  re- 
tired much  earlier  than  usual  that  day. 

At  dawn  I  sent  to  the  nurse  for  news.  What  was  my 
surprise  when,  instead  of  a  verbal  answer,  a  bulletin  was 
handed  me  describing  the  whole  course  of  the  night!  I 
knew  the  number  of  times  the  little  invalid  had  taken  his 
dose,  how  long  he  had  slept,  what  his  degree  of  fever  had 
been!  My  mother's  heart,  without  knowing  the  writing, 
guessed  whose  it  was. 

That  day  I  felt  embarrassed  when  addressing  M.  de 
F ,  and  as  I  ventured  a  few  words  of  thanks  he  an- 
swered : 

"This  is  an  instance,  to  be  sure,  where  the  simplest  things 
are  made  a  merit  of.  I  was  on  duty  last  night.  In  your 
son's  room  there  was  a  comfortable  lounge  where  I  installed 
myself,  and,  not  wishing  to  drop  off  to  sleep,  I  tried  to  be- 
come interested  in  what  was  going  on  about  me.  Your 
child  is  out  of  all  danger,"  he  added,  in  accents  that  went 
right  to  my  heart. 

I  could  not  speak — he  took  my  hand,  pressed  it,  without 
daring  to  put  his  lips  to  it,  and  quickly  went  away. 

From  that  instant  a  sort  of  intimacy  sprung  up  between 
us.  One  might  have  said  an  old  and  sacred  friendship 
which  had  all  the  charm  of  mysterious  and  timid  new  love. 
Faithful  to  my  obligations,  I  would  not  even  admit  the  pos- 
sibility of  a  sentiment  which  ought  to  have  been  destroyed, 
and  I  was  content  to  deny  the  danger. 

It  seemed  permissible  to  feel  friendship  for  a  man  who 
combined  all  the  qualities  one  would  have  wished  for  in  a 
brother.  The  troubles  I  had  disappeared  when  I  met  that 
gentle  and  melancholy  look,  when  I  heard  Charles  sing 
those  exquisite  romances,  that  no  one  sang  as  he  did.  I 
forgot,  in  fact,  and  that  was  my  worst  mistake,  that  a 
young  woman  ought  to  have  no  confidant  and  no  friend  but 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  73 

her  husband.  But  then  why  did  mine  not  remind  me  of 
this? 

The  winter  of  1807  was  extremely  severe.  The  country, 
already  impoverished  by  the  passage  of  the  Russian  army, 
found  its  resources  at  an  end  when  it  came  to  supplying  the 
wants  of  a  hundred  thousand  French  concentrated  at  a  sin- 
gle place!  The  troops  suffered  a  great  deal,  and  began  to 
murmur,  for  they  were  short  of  everything. 

Savary,  then  the  emperor's  adjutant,  proposed  what  he 
termed  a  vigorous  step — to  starve  the  town  by  closing  the 
gates,  and  to  seize  the  victuals  which  were  every  day 
brought  in  for  the  sustenance  of  the  population. 

Napoleon,  tired  of  the  murmurings  of  his  "grumblers," 
acceded  to  this  idea,  and  the  orders  were  given.  We  were 
thus  almost  condemned  to  die  of  starvation.  The  friend 
warned  us  under  the  seal  of  secrecy,  of  what  was  about  to 
happen.  An  indiscretion  might  have  ruined  him;  so  the 

evil  had  to  be  parried  without  compromising  M.  de  F . 

We  took  counsel  together,  and  my  husband  decided  that, 
upon  the  pretext  of  a  sudden  journey,  we  would  have  pro- 
visions taken  in.  Most  happily  these  precautions  became 
superfluous.  General  Berthier  and  M.  de  Talleyrand  hav- 
ing had  the  courage  to  represent  to  the  emperor  that  he 
ran  the  risk  of  provoking  a  rebellion,  it  was  concluded  to 
force  the  Austrian  line  of  outposts,  which  secured  us,  and 
the  army  too,  food  in  abundance. 

While  surprise  was  beginning  to  be  declared  because  of 
the  apparent  tranquillity  that  reigned  at  the  palace,  and 
while  the  ladies  were  becoming  offended  because  the  em- 
peror evinced  so  little  anxiety  to  see  them,  Napoleon  was 
making  plans  of  attack,  and,  without  being  taken  aback  by 
the  rigours  of  the  season,  he  departed  hastily,  so  as  to  pre- 
sent himself  before  the  Russians  encamped  on  the  other  side 
of  the  Vistula,  in  the  little  town  of  Pultusk.  The  fighting 


74 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE 


continued  for  some  days  without  particular  results.  The 
winter  stopped  everything.  Continual  rains  had  so  ruined 
the  roads  that  the  cannon  stuck  in  the  mud.  Some  of  the 
soldiers  perished  in  the  bogs.  Nothing  to  equal  it  had  ever 
been  witnessed  before,  and  he,  whose  genius  had  up  to 
that  time  seemed  to  dominate  the  elements,  saw  himself 
obliged  to  retreat  after  having  harassed  and  driven  back 
the  enemy,  whom  he  yet  left  in  condition  to  offer  a  long 
resistance. 

Not  without  reason  was  the  effect  on  Napoleon  of  this 
first  reverse  feared,  and  it  was  in  trembling  that  the  authori- 
ties went  to  wait  upon  him  at  the  palace. 

But,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  all,  he  showed  himself 
quite  undisturbed. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "your  mud  has  saved  the  Russians;  let 
us  wait  for  the  frost." 

He  then  spoke  of  the  government  of  the  country,  insist- 
ing on  the  need  of  introducing  perfect  order  and  foresight 
into  the  methods  of  supplying  the  wants  of  the  army,  men- 
tioning the  points  where  stores  ought  to  be  kept,  and  enter- 
ing upon  all  the  details  with  admirable  lucidity  and  an 
already  complete  knowledge  of  the  places,  things,  and  men 
to  be  utilised. 

Things  were  different  this  time  from  the  first.  All  who 
went  to  the  palace  came  back  penetrated  with  admiration  for 
the  reach  and  depth  of  this  genius,  as  fit  to  conquer  as  to 
govern. 

My  father-in-law  was  so  kind  as  to  come  to  give  me  an 
account  of  what  had  happened  at  that  interview.  He  had 
barely  sat  down  when  we  heard  a  great  clamour  of  men 
and  horses.  Jt  was  Prince  Murat  coming  in  with  fuss  and 
bustle.  He,  too,  was  returning  from  this  short  campaign, 
followed  by  his  whole  staff. 

Fortunately,  no  one  was  absent  from  muster,  though  it 


S.  A,'S.WurJLK  JC 


-.  —  *          jf  j  •* 

///s//w  aW  f//;m<). 


MARSHAL  BERTHIER. 

an  engraving  by  Lignon  njter  a  drawing  by  I'igneron. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  75 

would  have  been  according  to  the  prince's  habits  to  be  cara- 
coling before  the  bullets  at  all  the  outposts. 

A  few  days  after  it  was  announced  that  at  last  there  was 
to  be  a  reception  for  the  ladies.  So  it  was  to  be  our  turn 
to  see  the  great  man  and  form  an  opinion  of  him !  A  hand- 
some toilet  had  to  be  thought  of — national  vanity  was  in- 
volved. 

I  was  very  well  pleased  with  mine.  I  wore  a  black  vel- 
vet gown,  stitched  a  la  Mathilde  with  gold  and  pearls.  An 
open  Van  Dyck  ruff,  light  tufts  of  curls,  and  all  my  dia- 
monds matched  this  dignified  and  severe  costume  to  perfec- 
tion, a  contrast,  I  must  confess,  to  my  then  fresh,  smiling 
face.  Fashion  had  not  yet  sanctified  these  fanciful  cos- 
tumes ;  I  believe  I  was  one  of  the  first  to  wear  them,  and  my 
dresses  partook  more  of  the  artist  than  of  the  fashion 
journal. 

We  reached  the  palace  about  nine  in  the  evening.  We 
had  to  traverse  a  whole  army  in  gilt  and  galloon,  drawn 
up  in  line  to  see  the  ladies  pass.  I  went  behind  my  mother- 
in-law,  looking  right  and  left  to  observe  the  effect  my  attire 
would  produce  on  judges  both  competent  and  exacting.  I 
admit  that  I  was  delighted  when,  from  the  midst  of  flatter- 
ing whispers,  I  overheard  this  exceedingly  French  remark : 

"Ah!  How  original!  You  would  say  a  pretty  picture 
stepping  out  of  an  old  frame.  You  see  nothing  of  the  kind 
in  Paris !" 

We  were  ushered  into  the  great  hall,  hung  with  his- 
torical paintings,  taken  to  Moscow  since  by  order  of  the 
Emperor  Nicholas.  This  hall  was  as  light  as  day.  A  num- 
ber of  ladies  were  already  ranged  side  by  side,  for,  as  the 
selection  had  been  indiscriminate,  the  company  was  very 
large. 

We  waited  rather  long,  and,  if  it  must  be  acknowledged, 
our  curiosity  was  not  unmingled  with  fright.  Of  a  sudden 


y6  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

the  silence  was  broken  by  a  swift  rumour,  the  wings  of  the 
door  opened  noisily,  and  M.  de  Talleyrand  advanced,  with 
a  loud  and  intelligible  voice  uttering  the  magic  word  that 
made  the  world  tremble :  The  Emperor.  Immediately  Na- 
poleon made  his  appearance,  and  halted  for  a  minute  as  if 
to  be  admired. 

So  many  portraits  exist  of  this  astonishing  man,  his  his- 
tory has  been  so  much  written  about,  all  the  stories  told 
by  the  children  of  his  old  soldiers  will  live  so  long,  that 
the  generations  to  come  will  know  him  almost  as  well  as 
ourselves.  But  what  will  be  difficult  to  grasp  is  how  deep 
and  unexpected  the  impression  was  which  those  felt  who 
saw  him  for  the  first  time.  As  for  me,  I  experienced  a  sort 
of  stupor,  a  mute  surprise,  like  that  which  seizes  one  at 
the  aspect  of  any  prodigy.  It  seemed  to  me  that  he  wore 
an  aureole.  The  only  thought  I  could  frame  when  I  had 
recovered  from  this  first  shock  was  that  such  a  being  could 
not  possibly  die,  that  such  a  mighty  organisation,  such  a 
stupendous  genius,  could  never  perish !  I  inwardly  awarded 
him  double  immortality. 

It  is  likely — and  I  want  to  make  no  excuses — that  the 
impression  he  made  on  me  resulted  from  my  youth  and 
the  vividness  of  my  imagination.  However  this  may  be, 
I  simply  relate  what  I  felt. 

My  mother-in-law  was  near  the  door  by  which  the  em- 
peror had  entered;  he  addressed  himself  to  her  first,  and 
spoke  of  her  husband  in  flattering  terms.  My  turn  came 
next.  I  cannot  repeat  what  he  said,  so  upset  was  I.  Prob- 
ably it  was  one  of  the  stock  phrases  that  all  young  women 
get.  I  must,  no  doubt,  have  answered  quite  clumsily,  for 
he  looked  at  me  with  some  surprise,  which  put  me  still  fur- 
ther out  of  countenance,  and  drove  everything  out  of  my 
mind  except  the  gracious  and  gentle  smile  with  which  he 
accompanied  the  few  words  he  said  to  me.  This  smile, 


M.  DE  TALLEYRAND. 

Front  an  engraving  by  Mote  after  Gerard's  portrait. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  77 

which  he  habitually  assumed  when  speaking  to  a  woman, 
entirely  counteracted  his  usual  stern  gaze. 

He  accomplished  the  round  of  the  room  very  quickly. 
Several  of  the -ladies  attempted  to  broach  the  subject  of 
the  hopes  his  presence  gave  rise  to,  but  monosyllables  were 
the  only  answers  to  these  patriotic  flights,  somewhat  out 
of  place  at  a  presentation,  and  he  disposed  of  us  in  less  than 
half  an  hour.  Arrived  at  the  door  by  which  he  had  entered, 
he  said,  rather  loudly,  to  M.  de  Talleyrand : 

"What  pretty  women!" 

Then,  turning  round  once  more,  he  saluted  us  gracefully 
with  his  hand  and  returned  to  his  apartments. 


CHAPTER  IV 
GALLANTRIES 

BALL  AT   M.   DE  TALLEYRAND'S — THE   GLASS   OF   LEMONADE 

AN  IMPERIAL  QUADRILLE MADAME  WALEWSKA THE 

KEY   TO    PRINCE    MURAT's   APARTMENT. 

THE  emperor  declared  that,  as  there  was  to  be  no  fighting, 
he  wanted  us  to  enjoy  ourselves.  The  time  was  propitious, 
for  the  carnival  had  just  begun.  There  was  an  impedi- 
ment, however.  '  The  liberators  were  occupying  all  our 
houses;  everywhere  the  proprietors  were  reduced,  just  like 
ourselves,  to  a  few  small  rooms,  where  some  sort  of  crowd- 
ing in  was  possible,  but  where  it  was  out  of  the  question  to 
think  of  entertaining. 

Prince  Poniatowski,  who  alone  could  have  invited  a  large 
company  to  the  palace,  was  hampered  by  the  presence  of 
the  emperor.  After  much  discussion,  it  was  decided  to 
give  the  first  ball  at  M.  de  Talleyrand's,  Grand  Chamber- 
lain and  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs. 

The  emperor,  as  well  as  all  the  princes,  were  to  be  there. 
The  assurance  was  given  that  there  would  be  no  more  than 
fifty  ladies,  but  such  a  severe  regulation  could  not  hold 
out  against  the  thousand  and  one  little  intrigues  in  vogue 
on  similar  occasions.  It  was  certainly  one  of  those  parties 
which  must  not  be  missed  for  anything  in  the  world. 

78 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  79 

Everybody's  vanity  and  curiosity  were  stretched  to  the  ut- 
most. As  for  me,  I  was  possessed  of  the  liveliest  desire  to 
see  the  host  at  close  quarters,  who  was  reported  to  be  the 
most  affable  and  cleverest  man  of  his  time.  To  say  the  truth, 
he  took  little  trouble  to  appear  so  to  us.  The  intimates 
asserted  that  no  one  joined  such  dexterity  to  such  brilliancy; 
but  if  I  were  to  judge  him  according  to  the  impression  he 
then  made  upon  me,  I  should  say  he  was  thoroughly  satiated 
and  bored  with  everything — greedy  for  fame  and  fortune, 
jealous  of  the  favours  of  a  master  he  detested,  without 
either  character  or  principles,  and,  in  a  word,  as  unhealthy 
in  mind  as  in  appearance. 

I  can  scarcely  convey  the  surprise  I  experienced  when  I 
saw  him  advance  laboriously  to  the  middle  of  the  drawing- 
room,  a  napkin  folded  under  his  arm,  a  gilt  tray  in  his  hand, 
and  offer  a  glass  of  lemonade  to  the  monarch  whom  he  in 
private  considered  an  upstart. 

In  his  youth  M.  de  Talleyrand  was  said  to  have  counted 
many  successes  among  the  ladies,  and  I  have  since  seen 
him  in  the  midst  of  his  old  seraglio.  It  was  really  very 
comical :  all  those  dames,  to  whom  he  had  in  turn  played 
lover,  tyrant,  or  friend,  vainly  tried  to  amuse  him.  His 
rudeness  defeated  all  their  efforts.  He  yawned  at  one,  was 
curt  to  another,  and  made  fools  of  them  all,  maliciously 
recurring  to  reminiscences  and  dates. 

To  return  to  the  ball.  It  was  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able that  it  was  ever  my  privilege  to  attend.  The  em- 
peror took  part  in  a  square  dance,  which  paved  the  way  for 
his  affair  with  Madame  Walewska. 

"How  do  you  think  I  dance?"  he  asked  me,  smiling. 
"I  suspect  you  have  been  laughing  at  me." 

"  In  truth,  sire,"  I  replied,  "for  a  great  man  your  dancing 
is  perfect." 

A  little  before  that  Napoleon  had  seated  himself  between 


8o  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

the  future  favourite  and  myself.  After  talking  for  a  few 
minutes  he  asked  me  who  his  other  neighbour  was.  As 
soon  as  I  had  mentioned  her  name,  he  turned  to  her  as  if 
no  one  knew  more  about  her  than  he. 

We  learnt  afterward  that  M.  de  Talleyrand  had  extended 
his  labours  as  far  as  managing  this  first  interview  and 
smoothing  the  preliminary  obstacles.  Napoleon,  having 
expressed  a  wish  to  count  a  Pole  among  his  conquests,  one 
of  the  right  kind  was  chosen — lovely  and  dull.  Some  pre- 
tended to  have  noticed  that,  after  the  quadrille,  the  emperor 
had  shaken  hands  with  her,  which  was  equivalent,  they 
said,  to  an  appointment;  and  it  did  take  place,  in  fact,  the 
next  evening.  It  was  rumoured  that  a  great  dignitary  had 
gone  to  fetch  the  fair  one ;  quick  and  undeserved  promotion 
for  a  good-for-nothing  brother  was  spoken  of,  and  a  dia- 
mond ornament,  which  was  said  to  have  been  refused. 
People  said  a  great  many  things  they  perhaps  did  not  know 
and  invented  at  pleasure.  They  even  went  so  far  as  to 
assert  that  Rustan,  the  Mameluke,  had  acted  as  lady's  maid ! 
What  is  certain,  however,  is  that  we  were  all  distressed  that 
a  person  admitted  to  society  had  shown  such  facility,  and 
had  defended  herself  as  little  as  the  fortress  of  Ulm. 

But  time,  which  colours  everything,  gave  this  connection, 
so  lightly  contracted,  a  tinge  of  constancy  and  disinter- 
estedness which  partly  effaced  the  irregularity  of  its  origin, 
and  ended  in  placing  Madame  Walewska  among  the  notable 
personages  of  her  period.  Exquisitely  pretty,  she  was  a 
realization  of  Greuze's  faces;  her  eyes,  her  mouth,  and  her 
teeth  were  beautiful.  Her  laugh  was  so  fresh,  her  gaze 
so  soft,  her  face  so  seductive,  as  a  whole,  that  it  was  never 
apparent  that  anything  was  wanting  to  the  complete  regu- 
larity of  her  features. 

Married  at  sixteen  to  an  octogenarian  who  never  ap- 
peared in  public,  in  society  she  had  the  position  of  a  young 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  8l 

widow.  Her  extreme  youth,  combined  with  such  conve- 
nient circumstances,  gave  room  to  all  sorts  of  surmises,  and 
if  Napoleon  was  her  last  lover,  it  was  asserted  that  he  had 
not  been  the  first. 

After  the  emperor  had  made  his  choice  the  princes  of 
the  family  wanted  to  follow  suit.  It  was  difficult,  as  there 
was  more  than  glory  involved  in  this  audacious  enterprise. 

One  morning  M.  Janvier,  Prince  Murat's  private  secre- 
tary, was  announced.  He  entered,  a  key  in  his  hand,  much 
embarrassed  at  his  undertaking.  Not  knowing  how  to 
begin,  he  remained  mute,  and  turned  his  key  over  and  over 
without  venturing  to  look  at  me,  whilst  I,  on  my  side, 
racked  my  brain  to  guess  what  he  wanted. 

In  order  that  this  anecdote  may  be  understood,  I  must 
say  a  word  about  the  arrangements  of  the  palace.  Between 
the  story  occupied  by  my  mother-in-law  and  the  ground 
floor,  where  the  large  apartment  was  situated  which  I  had 
surrendered  to  Prince  Murat,  there  were  tiny  mezzanine 
rooms,  of  which  my  mother-in-law  never  made  use  except 
in  the  coldest  weather,  because  they  communicated  the  heat 
thoroughly  by  way  of  a  secret  staircase. 

This  charming  retreat,  furnished  and  decorated  in  Louis 
XV.  style,  was  looked  upon  as  a  part  of  the  large  apart- 
ment. The  key  of  it  had  been  given  to  Prince  Murat's 
servants  when  he  had  come  to  live  in  our  house,  and  nobody 
had  thought  of  it  since.  That  was  the  key  M.  Janvier  had 
been  ordered  to  bring  to  me. 

Being  a  man  of  sense,  he  felt  fully  the  impropriety  of  his 
mission,  and  was  doubly  confused  when  he  perceived  that 
I  did  not  understand,  and  that  I  persisted  in  refusing  the 
key  as  a  useless  object;  because,  inhabiting  the  same  floor 
as  my  mother-in-law,  her  private  stairs  were  all  that  con- 
cerned me.  Seeing  me  utterly  at  a  loss,  he  took  the  liberty 
to  say,  that  His  Highness,  not  caring  to  propose  large  par- 


82  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

ties,  had  thought  I  might  perhaps  be  pleased  to  take  tea 
occasionally  in  these  charming  nooks.  I  began  to  compre- 
hend, and  I  got  angry !  He  must  have  read  it  in  my  eyes, 
for  I  thought  he  would  fall  from  his  chair.  He  rose,  stum- 
bling, and  going  to  a  bracket  deposited  there  the  miserable 
key,  and  made  a  profound  bow,  preparatory  to  his  exit. 

I  could  scarce  contain  myself — indignation  inspired  me. 
Smiling  as  disdainfully  as  I  was  able,  I  begged  M.  Janvier 
to  tell  the  prince  that  my  mother-in-law  would  certainly 
be  sensible  to  his  attention,  that  at  her  age  large  parties 
were  found  objectionable,  and  that  she  might  avail  herself 
of  His  Highness'  obliging  offer;  that,  in  any  case,  since 
he  was  leaving  the  key,  I  should  hand  it  to  my  mother-in- 
law.  And,  bestowing  my  haughtiest  salute  on  the  poor  sec- 
retary, who  stood  petrified  by  the  door,  I  left  the  room. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  EMPEROR'S  GAME  OF  WHIST 

MORE  BALLS THE  PARADE THE  EMPEROR'S  ORCHESTRA 

THE    DUTCH    DEPUTATION THE    STAKE    AT    CARDS THE 

HEIR   PRESUMPTIVE  OF   BAVARIA THE   "COUNT   OF    COM- 

MINGES" THE    PRINCES    OF    THE    BLOOD MURAT's    GAS- 
CON  ACCENT HIS   AFFECTED   PHRASES. 

M.  DE  TALLEYRAND'S  ball  was  followed  by  two  others :  one 
given  by  Prince  Borghese,  the  other  by  Prince  Murat.  I 
was  indisposed,  and  did  not  attend  the  first;  it  was  my 
mother-in-law's  opinion  that  I  ought  to  be  at  the  second, 
so  as  to  sustain  the  part  I  had  adopted  towards  M.  Janvier, 
and  nqt  in  any  way  change  the  relationship  of  frigid  polite- 
ness existing  between  our  guest  and  ourselves. 

The  weather  continuing  to  render  the  roads  impassable, 
the  emperor  did  not  leave  town,  and  his  regular  outings 
were  limited  to  the  parade  which  took  place  in  Saxon 
Square.  Although  this  was  an  almost  daily  drill,  people 
flocked  there  in  crowds  whenever  Napoleon  showed  him- 
self. He  was  accompanied  back  to  the  palace  with  spon- 
taneous shouts  and  hurrahs,  which  showed  him  how  his 
fame  and  our  hopes  had  endeared  him  to  the  nation.  He 
did  not  seem  in  the  least  put  out  by  these  demonstrations, 
although  sometimes  the  enthusiasm  resulted  in  blocking 
his  way. 

83 


84  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

Besides  the  balls,  there  was  a  court  reception  once  a  week. 
The  evening  began  with  a  splendid  concert  and  ended  with 
a  game  of  whist.  There  was  never  any  dancing  at  the 
palace. 

The  emperor  had  a  complete  orchestra  in  his  train,  under 
the  direction  of  the  celebrated  composer  Paer.  It  was 
always  Italian  music.  Napoleon  seemed  to  be  passionately 
devoted  to  it.  He  listened  attentively,  applauded  with  dis- 
crimination, and  the  sounds  of  harmony  appeared  to  seize 
strongly  upon  his  moral  faculties.  A  proof  was  given  us 
at  one  of  the  entertainments. 

He  had  just  received  information  that  General  Victor, 
the  bearer  of  a  despatch  of  the  highest  importance,  had 
allowed  the  Prussians  to  catch  him !  This  piece  of  news 
•put  him  beside  himself.  If  not  a  case  of  treason — so  it 
was  noised  about — it  was  at  least  one  of  unpardonable  care- 
lessness. Now,  that  very  day  a  Dutch  deputation,  come  to 
congratulate  the  emperor  upon  his  victory  at  Jena,  was  to 
be  admitted  to  audience  immediately  before  the  reception. 
It  was  near  ten  o'clock,  we  had  been  waiting  a  long  time, 
and  were  beginning  to  suspect  something  extraordinary 
might  be  happening,  when,  the  door  being  noisily  thrown 
open,  we  saw  the  fat  Dutchmen,  in  their  scarlet  clothes,  roll 
rather  than  walk  in.  The  emperor  was  prodding  them,  ex- 
claiming in  somewhat  loud  tones :  "Go  on !  Go  on !" 

No  doubt  a  number  of  people  had  accumulated  at  the 
door  the  moment  that  Napoleon  made  his  appearance,  for 
he  walked  very  quickly,  as  was  his  habit.  The  poor  envoys 
lost  their  heads,  and  tumbled  all  over  each  other. 

At  any  other  time  this  comical  scene  would  have  raised  a 
laugh,  but  the  master's  voice  and  the  expression  of  his  face 
were  not  reassuring,  and,  to  say  truth,  we  should  have  pre- 
ferred not  to  witness  this  episode.  We  were  wrong.  The 
music  soothed  the  emperor  quickly;  towards  the  end  of  the 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  85 

concert  he  resumed  his  gracious  smile,  addressing  pleasant 
words  to  the  ladies  he  liked  best,  before  sitting  down  to  his 
whist  table.  The  emperor  always  named  the  ladies  in  the 
morning  who  were  to  play  with  him  in  the  evening.  His 
choice  habitually  fell  upon  one  of  the  oldest  and  two  of  the 
youngest.  I  was  taught  to  play  an  indifferent  game,  and 
the  first  time  the  coveted  distinction  was  mine  I  let  slip  a  too 
hasty  answer,  which  was  apparently  not  taken  amiss,  seeing 
that  from  that  day  I  was  a  fixture  at  the  card  table. 

At  the  moment  when  the  cards  were  drawn,  Napoleon, 
turning  in  my  direction,  inquired : 

"What  shall  the  stake  be?" 

"Oh,  sire,"  I  answered,  "some  town,  some  province,  some 
kingdom!" 

He  laughed. 

"And  supposing  you  should  lose?"  he  asked,  with  a  par- 
ticularly sly  look. 

"Your  Majesty  is  in  funds,  and  will  perhaps  deign  to 
pay  for  me." 

This  speech  won  me  favour  which  was  never  withdrawn. 
Whether  in  Poland  or  in  Paris,  Napoleon  never  failed  to 
accord  me  a  distinguished  welcome,  and  to  treat  me  with 
endless  consideration. 

It  was  remarked  that  Madame  Walewska  never  played 
cards,  and  this  regard  for  propriety  was  universally  com- 
mended. 

A  really  funny  thing  it  was  to  see  all  the  little  German 
princes,  who,  under  various  pretexts  remaining  at  head- 
quarters, danced  attendance  at  the  emperor's  game  of  cards. 
Among  others  there  was  the  heir  presumptive  to  the  throne 
of  Bavaria,  who  respectfully  kissed  Napoleon's  hand  when- 
ever he  managed  to  get  it.  But  he  had  the  impudence  to  be 
in  love  with  Madame  Walewska!  Napoleon's  peace  was 
not  in  the  least  disturbed  by  this  rivalry,  which  was  even 


86  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

supposed  to  amuse  him.  The  prince,  much  maltreated  by 
nature,  was,  besides,  deaf  and  a  stutterer. 

The  foreign  ministers  apart  and  some  of  the  high  func- 
tionaries settled  down  at  play,  no  one  sat  down  in  the 
emperor's  presence,  not  even  his  brothers-in-law.  This  did 
not  seem  to  displease  Prince  Murat,  who  did  not  lose  the 
opportunity  to  pose,  and  to  strike  attitudes  which  he  judged 
appropriate  to  show  oft"  the  beauty  of  his  figure.  But  little 
Borghese  was  enraged,  and  still  had  not  the  courage  to  sit 
down. 

After  cards  came  supper.  Napoleon  never  took  a  seat 
at  table,  but  walked  about,  so  as  to  chat  with  the  ladies, 
diverting  himself  with  asking  a  thousand  questions,  which 
sometimes  were  embarrassing,  considering  the  extremely 
precise  answers  he  exacted.  He  wanted  to  know  what  you 
did,  what  you  read,  what  you  thought  about  most,  what 
you  liked  best. 

One  day,  or  one  evening  rather,  when,  leaning  on  the 
back  of  my  chair,  he  amused  himself  with  examining  me  in 
this  way  as  to  my  reading,  he  talked  novels,  and  told  me 
that  of  all  which  had  come  into  his  hands,  the  "Comte  de 
Comminges"  had  interested  him  by  far  the  most.  He  had 
read  it  twice,  and  each  time  had  been  moved  to  tears. 

I  did  not  know  the  book,  and  it  may  well  be  imagined 
that,  no  sooner  had  I  reached  home,  I  ransacked  my  father- 
in-law's  library.  Unfortunately,  this  novel  was  not  there. 
Only  a  long  time  after  that  conversation  did  I  succeed  in 
getting  a  copy,  and  I  too  shed  tears ! 

My  mother-in-law,  being  the  only  lady  of  Warsaw  who 
had  kept  up  a  salon,  found  herself  obliged  to  give  drawing- 
room  teas  and  dances.  A  host  of  strangers  who  had  come 
with  the  diplomatic  body  asked  nothing  better  than  to  be 
entertained.  The  princes,  of  the  blood  so-called,  missed 
none  of  these  parties,  without,  however,  compromising  their 
dignity,  for  they  only  danced  at  court  balls! 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  87 

Prince  Murat,  little  discountenanced  by  the  failure  of  his 
absurd  enterprise,  seized  this  opportunity  to  talk  to  me,  and 
overwhelmed  me  with  insipid  compliments.  I  scarcely  made 
an  effort  to  prevent  his  seeing  how  he  wearied  me.  He 
finally,  though  somewhat  late,  did  perceive  it.  Then,  as- 
suming a  melodramatic  air,  he  said  this  very  ridiculous 
phrase — rendered  more  so  by  his  Gascon  accent — which 
has  made  my  friends  laugh  so  much : 

"Madame  Alexandrel  you  are  not  ambitious;  you  do  not 
care  for  princes !" 

At  Paris  I  heard  a  companion  anecdote.  The  day  that 
Murat  was  proclaimed  King  of  Naples,  a  fair  one,  touched 
by  his  greatness,  accorded  him  a  private  interview.  As  the 
cares  of  his  empire  were  not  yet  taking  up  much  of  his 
time,  he  arrived  too  early,  and,  impatient  of  waiting,  he 
carried  his  hand  to  his  forehead,  exclaiming: 

"Was  an  unhappier  monarch  ever  known?" 

When  I  reflect  how  petty  and  absurd  all  those  princes  of 
Napoleon's  family  seemed  to  us  by  the  side  of  the  colossus 
who  overshadowed  them,  I  repeat  the  maxim  proved  true 
by  the  ages,  that  in  the  eyes  of  mankind  only  a  great  char- 
acter or  great  deeds  can  justify  sudden  elevation. 


CHAPTER  VI 

EYLAU 

THE  PINK  RELIC — MARET,  DUKE  DE  BASSANO — THE  DUKE 

DE  DALBERG BIRTH  OF  NATHALIA  POTOCKA MADAME 

WALEWSKA    AT    OSTERADE JOSEPHINE'S    SHAWL NA- 

POLEON'S  OPINION  OF  "CORINNE" — BATTLE  OF  EYLAU — 

THE  RETURN  OF  THE  FRENCH FEAT  OF  ARMS  BY  PRINCE 

BORGHESE. 

WAR  was  no  longer  the  topic.  Many  people  even  believed 
the  emperor  was  waiting  for  the  spring  to  resume  hostili- 
ties. But,  as  rapid  in  his  resolves  as  in  his  actions,  he  sud- 
denly left  on  the  5th  of  February,  and  the  army  got  orders 
to  move. 

A  farewell  is  a  dangerous  rock!  It  is  then  hard  not  to 
betray  a  sentiment  one  is  continually  repressing.  Fortu- 
nately I  was  not  alone ! 

Charles  wrote  to  me  on  the  pretext  of  commending  to 
my  care  a  pocketbook  which  he  did  not  like  to  expose  to  the 
chances  of  war.  It  contained  the  letters  of  a  mother  he 
dearly  loved,  and  who  wrote  with  a  particular  grace.  He 
begged  me,  in  conclusion,  not  to  refuse  him,  as  a  token  of 
sacred  friendship,  a  relic  (supposed  to  have  the  virtue  of 
warding  off  bullets),  a  pink  ribbon  which  I  had  worn  the 
day  before.  This  idea  silenced  my  scruples :  I  surrendered 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  89 

the  pink  ribbon!  People  who  are  going  to  war  have  the 
right  to  ask  so  much !  He  made  me  promise  to  write  some- 
times. He  requested  permission  to  keep  me  informed  of 
the  progress  of  an  army  that  was  to  fight  for  our  cause. 

I  submitted  this  request  to  my  husband;  as  he  found 
nothing  to  object,  I  promised,  and  he  went. 

I  have  not  yet  spoken  of  Maret,  the  Duke  de  Bassano, 
minister  and  secretary  of  state;  he  was  one  of  those  who 
rarely  left  the  emperor.  This  time,  however,  he  was  to 
await  events. 

Arrived  at  great  station,  he  was  perhaps  the  only  man  of 
this  period  of  speedy  fortunes  who  had  kept  nothing  of  the 
rank  he  had  started  from,  yet  without  any  way  abusing  that 
which  he  had  obtained.  His  manners,  his  dress,  his  conver- 
sation, all,  excepting  his  enormous  calves,  belonged  to  a 
person  of  good  society.  If  his  mind  was  less  versatile  and 
subtle  than  M.  de  Talleyrand's,  his  perfect  tact,  joined  to 
rare  good  judgment,  came  to  his  aid,  and  rendered  him 
fit  to  cope  with  the  ablest.  An  upright  and  honest  man 
moreover,  he  had  earned  the  right  to  hold  his  head  up. 

His  affairs  were  related  to  my  father-in-law's,  so  that  we 
saw  him  often.  After  working  a  long  time,  he  would 
come  into  the  room  to  chat  with  us  for  a  moment ;  he  called 
these  short  intervals  his  recreation.  His  politeness  was  of 
the  kind  that  comes  from  the  heart;  he  never  missed  an 
opportunity  of  being  obliging.  He  was  accused  of  being 
amenable  to  flattery,  and  of  having  bestowed  his  confidence 
on  persons  little  worthy  of  it.  It  is  possible — true  kindness 
has  this  drawback,  that  it  is  easy  to  abuse  it. 

I  must  not  forget,  in  speaking  of  our  friends,  the  clev- 
erest of  them  all,  the  Duke  de  Dalberg. 

He  was  the  last  scion  of  that  ancient  family  to  which  his- 
tory has  allotted  so  conspicuous  a  place.  At  the  moment 
of  a  German  emperor's  anointing  a  herald  was  charged 


go  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

with  exclaiming :  1st  cin  Dalberg  da?  If  the  answer  was  in 
the  negative,  the  ceremony  was  invalid. 

Upon  his  return  to  France  the  duke  married  a  Made- 
moiselle de  Brignole,  by  whom  he  had  but  one  daughter, 
who  died  quite  young.  During  his  sojourn  in  Poland  he 
entertained  a  deep  passion  for  one  who  could  neither  appre- 
ciate nor  understand  him,  nature  having  denied  the  duke 
the  gifts  that  are  seductive  to  a  stupid  person.  In  this 
matter  he  showed  himself  as  extravagant  as  a  German  and 
as  delicate  as  a  Frenchman.  I  listened  to  his  confidences 
patiently,  for  he  put  all  the  charm  of  his  mind  into  them. 
He  was  a  singular  personage,  half  seer,  half  eighteenth- 
century  philosopher;  he  had  connections  with  all  the  most 
enlightened  and  the  most  compromised  people  in  Europe. 
Violently  imprudent,  he  said  anything  that  came  into  his 
head,  sparing  no  one,  not  even  Napoleon,  whom  he  called  a 
tyrant  and  an  usurper.  His  real  mission  was  to  watch  the 
interests  of  Germany,  which  he  somewhat  neglected  when 
love  claimed  all  his  faculties. 

Admitted  to  the  intimacy  of  M.  de  Talleyrand,  he  would 
often  groan  with  him  over  the  current  events!  And  still 
he  pronounced  sincere  hopes  for  the  restoration  of  Poland, 
while  also  ardently  wishing  for  the  emancipation  of  Ger- 
many— two  things  as  hard  to  reconcile  as  the  rest  of  his 
sentiments. 

And  what  proved  that  Napoleon  was  not  so  bad  as  the 
duke  made  him  out  was  that  Dalberg  was  never  interfered 
with;  one  could  scarcely  admit,  though,  that  his  way  of 
thinking  was  unknown  to  the  emperor. 

On  the  eighteenth  of  March,  1807,  my  sweet  little  daugh- 
ter was  born.  She  sealed  all  our  hopes.  The  child,  six 
years  old  at  this  time  of  writing,  was  lovely  from  the  day  of 
her  birth.  Her  little  features  had  all  the  regularity  of  an 


/?./.<•/. 


CARL  THEODOR,  DUKE  DE  DALBERG. 

From  a  German  engraving, 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  91 

antique  bust;  certainly  Helen  of  Troy  was  no  more  beau- 
tiful when  she  was  born.  She  continues  to  develop  those 
classic  lines  of  feature  which  I  attribute  to  my  devotion  to 
the  arts.  I  was  always  in  the  midst  of  the  finest  models; 
I  dwelt  rapturously  upon  the  splendid  paintings  at  my 
father-in-law's,  and  it  is  not  surprising  if  my  child  was  the 
reflex,  as  it  were,  of  my  constant  occupation.  My  mother 
became  her  godmother,  and  I  called  her  Nathalia;  the  name 
pleased  me,  and  was  well  adapted  to  her  little  Greek  face. 
I  do  not  know  how  I  came  to  have  forgotten  the  mention 
of  my  son's  baptism,  which  was  celebrated  with  all  the 
magnificence  reserved  for  boys,  and  especially  for  the  old- 
est son.  Prince  Joseph  Poniatowski  and  Marshal  Potocki, 
my  father-in-law's  brother,  were  his  godfathers;  the  beau- 
tiful Countess  Zamoyska  and  Countess  Tyszkiewicz,  Prince 
Poniatowski's  sister,  his  godmothers.  Prince  Joseph  made 
my  son  a  magnificent  present,  which  we  preserve  rever- 
ently, and  which,  I  hope,  will  never  leave  the  family.  It 
is  the  sword  of  Sigismund  L,  and  was  used  at  the  anoint- 
ing of  our  kings.  There  being  no  lustre  attached  to  the  lot 
of  \vomen,  their  destiny  seems  different  from  the  cradle. 
Nathalia  was  baptised  in  my  room,  without  pomp  or  cere- 
mony. If,  some  day,  she  should  resent  this,  let  her  think 
of  the  joy  her  birth  gave  me,  and  the  admiration  her  beauty 
already  called  forth. 

The  emperor,  having  established  his  headquarters  at  Os- 
terode,  sent  for  the  Duke  de  Bassano,  and,  a  few  days  after, 
for  M.  de  Talleyrand.  The  diplomatic  body,  including  a 
Turkish  and  a  Persian  ambassador,  was  left  us.  People 
went  to  see  these  Orientals  eat,  smoke,  and  say  their  prayers ; 
it  was  a  sort  of  performance,  and  there  was  a  long  file  at 
their  doors. 

News  from  headquarters  was  quite  frequent,  as  might 


92 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE 


be  imagined.  The  enemy  retired,  so  as  to  concentrate  his 
forces  the  better.  The  emperor,  sure  of  victory,  was  not 
disturbed  by  this,  and  seemed  to  be  waiting  to  be  attacked. 
The  weather  being  still  very  severe,  Napoleon,  having  a 
good  deal  of  time  on  his  hands,  sent  for  Madame  Walewska. 
The  fair  one's  brother,  who  had  suddenly  advanced  from 
lieutenant  to  colonel,  hastened  to  bring  her,  with  a  show 
of  mystery,  to  headquarters.  Some  secrets  cannot  possibly 
be  kept  when  so  many  idle  witnesses  strive  to  satisfy  their 
curiosity  so  as  to  be  able  to  tell  everything.  Thus  it  soon 
became  known  that  a  carriage,  with  the  blinds  carefully 
lowered,  had  made  its  appearance  at  night.  The  rest  could 
be  guessed.  The  only  thing  that  remained  concealed  was 
the  place  where  the  traveller  had  been  deposited. 

'While  Madame  Walewska  was  at  Osterode,  the  Persian 
ambassador  sent  the  presents  to  be  accepted  from  his  mas- 
ter. Among  other  splendours  were  a  number  of  shawls  in- 
tended for  the  Empress  Josephine.  Her  unfaithful  spouse 
wanted  to  abstract  some;  he  even  insisted  repeatedly  that 
his  mistress  should  choose  the  finest.  But  in  vain.  She 
persisted  in  refusing,  and  as  he  was  offended  at  the  stub- 
bornness of  her  refusal,  she  finally  took  a  blue  shawl — the 
simplest  and  least  valuable  of  them  all — saying  she  had  a 
friend  who  liked  blue,  and  that  on  her  return  she  would 
offer  her  the  shawl. 

Napoleon  liked  this  disinterestedness. 

"Your  men  are  brave  and  devoted,"  said  he,  with  a  gra- 
cious smile,  "and  the  women  pretty  and  disinterested.  That 
makes  a  fine  nation.  I  promise  you  to  set  Poland  up  again, 
sooner  or  later." 

And  as  she  fell  on  her  knees  and  thanked  him  effusively, 
he  exclaimed : 

"Ah!  ah!  that  present — you  would  accept  it  without  fur- 
ther ado!  But  wait;  a  political  move  is  not  like  winning 
a  battle ;  it  is  not  so  easy,  and  takes  more  time." 


(PRINCE  JOSEPH  POMATOWSKI.) 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  93 

As  soon  as  hostilities  began  Napoleon  sent  Madame  Wa- 
lewska  away.  She  went  as  she  had  come.  Her  brother 
took  her  back  to  the  country,  and  mystery  again  presided 
over  her  journey.  It  seems  that  the  emperor  was  convinced 
that  no  one  was  aware  of  what  had  been  happening. 

The  novel  "Corinne"  had  just  appeared;  as  it  created  a 
sensation,  it  was  sent  to  headquarters  from  Paris.  It  ar- 
rived in  the  night  with  a  heap  of  despatches,  which  were 
at  once  remitted  to  the  emperor. 

After  running  through  the  most  important  of  these  mis- 
sives Napoleon  looked  at  the  novel,  and  had  M.  de  Talley- 
rand awakened,  so  that  he  might  read  it  to  him. 

"You  like  this  woman,"  said  he;  "let  us  see  if  she  has 
common  sense." 

After  listening  for  half  an  hour  he  became  impatient. 

"That  is  not  sentiment;  it  is  a  hash  of  phrases — a  head 
front-side  back.  Don't  you  see  she  thinks  she  loves  this 
Englishman  because  he  shows  himself  cold  and  indifferent? 
Go  to  bed — it's  time  wasted.  Whenever  an  author  per- 
sonifies herself  in  a  book  it  is  a  failure.  Good-night." 

The  next  day  he  gave  "Corinne"  to  the  Duke  of  Bassano, 
who  sent  it  to  me,  thinking  we  had  not  yet  received  the 
book  at  Warsaw. 

I  have  religiously  kept  this  historical  copy. 

A  few  days  after  my  confinement  a  messenger  brought 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Eylau,  and  a  Tc  Dcum  was  sung, 
although  thirty  thousand  men  were  lost.  At  Saint  Peters- 
burg there  was  also  rejoicing,  and  thanks  were  offered  up 
to  Providence  for  having  allowed  the  field  of  battle  to  be 
long  and  cruelly  fought  over.  They  called  that  a  victory ! 

I  soon  received  a  letter  that  reassured  me  as  to  the  fate 
of  those  in  whom  I  was  interested.  It  contained  more  ques- 
tions'about  my  health  than  details  of  the  battle.  He  only 
said  that  the  engagement  had  been  bloody,  that  the  enemy 
had  offered  strong  resistance,  and  that  it  meant  especial 


94 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA 


good  luck  to  have  escaped  the  quantity  of  balls  and  bullets 
fired  off  during  the  many  hours  the  battle  had  lasted.  This 
especial  good  luck  he  put  to  the  account  of  the  pink  ribbon, 
to  which  he  attributed  the  virtue  of  a  preservative  against 
all  danger.  He  even  advised  me  to  make  my  daughter 
wear  this  colour,  in  preference  to  any  other,  as  it  was  proved 
that  it  brought  good  fortune;  but  Nathalia's  colour  was 
and  remained  blue. 

During  the  short  truce  which  followed  the  battle  of  Eylau 
a  number  of  officers  arrived  from  headquarters.  Under 
various  pretexts  these  gentlemen  came  to  rest  a  little  and 
see  the  objects  of  their  affection,  for  nearly  all  had  made 
their  choice;  and  I  am  unfortunately  constrained  to  say 
that  few  of  them  met  with  cruelty.  Nevertheless  those 
ladies  who  showed  some  inspired  the  most  durable  and  chiv- 
alrous sentiments ;  there  were  even  marriages,  only  few ;  the 
Frenchmen  of  that  day  scarcely  had  time  to  set  up  house- 
holds. 

Among  our  returning  friends  was  Prince  Borghese,  all 
triumphant  from  his  military  achievements.  As  he  was 
only  a  colonel,  and  the  emperor  wanted  to  promote  him  with 
some  show  of  justice,  his  regiment  was  sent  into  a  little 
skirmish  where  more  glory  was  to  be  won  than  real  danger 
to  be  incurred.  The  colonel  was  very  proud  of  having 
drawn  his  sword  for  the  first  time,  and  said  very  seriously 
to  M.  de  Vaugiron,  whom  he  met  at  my  house : 

"Why  don't  you  tell  the  countess  how  I  drew  the  scia- 
bola?" 

This  grand  feat  of  arms  was  reported  in  the  despatches, 
and  described  in  a  pompous  manner,  and  very  soon  after  the 
campaign  His  Imperial  Highness,  in  compensation  of  his 
services  and  valour,  was  awarded  the  government  of  Turin, 
where  he  recovered,  for  the  rest  of  his  earthly  term,  from 
the  fatigues  of  war,  without  any  other  cares  than  the  fre- 
quent and  just  uneasiness  the  princess,  his  wife,  caused  him. 


H    «, 


3  u 


CHAPTER  VII 
TILSIT 

PRESENTATION  OF  THE  COLOURS  TO  THE  THREE  POLISH 
LEGIONS PRINCE  PONIATOWSKI VICTORY  OF  FRIED- 
LAND COUNT  STANISLAUS  POTOCKI  AT  THE  INTERVIEW 

OF  TILSIT THE  TEARS  OF  THE  QUEEN  OF  PRUSSIA THE 

ROYAL  BANQUET THE  DUCHY  OF  WARSAW. 

So  much  ardour  and  zeal  had  been  spent  upon  the  organi- 
sation of  the  army  that  it  was  ready  to  move  soon  after 
Napoleon's  entry  into  Warsaw.  The  third  of  May,  1807, 
the  three  legions,  thus  created  by  a  stroke  of  the  magician's 
wand  and  popular  enthusiasm,  were  given  their  eagles  and 
their  standards.  I  have  since  witnessed  many  ceremonies, 
have  been  present  at  the  most  gorgeous  festivities.  I  have 
participated  in  the  joy  of  triumphs,  and  gazed  with  rap- 
ture on  more  than  one  apotheosis.  But  nothing  has  ever 
left  so  deep  an  impression  upon  me  as  this  high  function. 

About  a  plain  altar,  erected  in  the  middle  of  the  square, 
this  young  and  splendid  company  was  crowding,  reverently 
taking  part  in  the  mass  celebrated  by  the  archbishop.  Noth- 
ing is  so  grand  and  imposing  as  a  patriotic  manifesta- 
tion mingled  with  religion  and  the  love  of  glory. 

At  the  moment  of  the  benediction,  the  standards  were 
brought  to  the  great  dignitaries,  who,  according  to  an  an- 
cient custom,  were  to  drive  a  nail  into  them.  Prince  Ponia- 

95 


96  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

towski,  as  General-in-Chief,  presided  at  this  ceremony. 
Never  did  a  nobler  figure  more  grandly  express  lustre  of 
birth,  bravery,  and  big-heartedness.  Nor  can  words  de- 
scribe the  effect  he  produced  when,  entrusting  these  fine 
troops  with  their  new  colours,  he  made  them  an  oration, 
appealing  to  the  sentiments  of  honour  he  himself  repre- 
sented. 

The  prince  did  not  wish  the  ladies  to  refrain  from  a  cere- 
mony which  was  laying  up  for  them  such  cruel  anxieties 
and  bitter  sorrows.  The  whole  youth  of  the  country  had 
flown  to  arms,  and  not  a  mother,  not  a  wife  or  sister  but 
who  trembled  for  one  of  her  own.  In  turn  we  had  the  hon- 
our of  driving  a  nail  into  these  standards  we  had  stitched. 

The  war  continuing,  we  awaited  immediate  marching 
orders  for  the  Polish  army.  Many  hearts  beat  at  this  ex- 
pectation !  Some  with  hope  and  the  others  with  fear ;  while 
the  children  could  not  contain  their  joy,  the  mothers  went 
into  despair. 

The  seventeenth  of  June  a  messenger,  despatched  in  the 
usual  way  from  the  battlefield,  brought  the  news  of  the 
victory  of  Friedland,  which  resulted  in  peace.  The  em- 
peror had  gone  to  Tilsit  to  negotiate  and  to  fix  the  condi- 
tions upon  which  he  would  consent  to  sign  the  treaty. 

I  shall  say  little  of  the  celebrated  interview.  But  from 
my  father-in-law,  Count  Stanislaus  Potocki,  I  have  some 
curious  and  scarcely  known  details.  The  count  had  been 
called  to  Tilsit,  under  Napoleon's  eyes  to  draw  up  the  suit- 
able or  indispensable  amendments  to  the  constitution  of  the 
third  of  May,  which  he  wanted  to  give  us  back  with  slightly 
imperial  touches.  Many  people  believed  that  the  publicity 
Napoleon  affected  to  draw  upon  this  performance  consti- 
tuted a  sort  of  scarecrow,  intended  to  strike  the  imagination 
of  the  Emperor  Alexander,  to  whom  Napoleon  always  pointed 
out  Poland  as  a  menacing  spectre  which,  sooner  or  later, 
must  shake  off  its  shroud  and  claim  its  rights. 


NAPOLEON  AND  ALEXANDER  OF  RUSSIA  MEETING 

ON  THE  NlEMEN  AT  TlLSIT. 

From  engravings  by  Couchtjils. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  97 

The  meeting  at  Tilsit  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  bril- 
liant moments  of  the  imperial  reign.  The  King  and  Queen 
of  Prussia  came  thither  as  suppliants.  To  Alexander  they 
owed  the  preservation  of  their  kingdom,  about  to  be  effaced 
from  the  list  of  the  nations,  which  we  were  hoping  for 
with  all  our  souls. 

The  lovely  queen  seemed  to  attempt  falling  on  her  knees ; 
Napoleon  politely  offered  his  hand,  and  conducted  her  to 
her  apartments. 

The  two  monarch  s  who  escorted  her  remained  silent. 
The  queen,  after  whispering  an  appeal  to  the  victor's  mag- 
nanimity, had  recourse  to  tears.  Napoleon  appeared  moved 
by  these  demonstrations  of  humility  and  grief;  he  could 
not,  however,  restrain  himself  from  avowing  to  the  august 
lady  that  he  had  felt  the  effects  of  her  impotent  hate,  and, 
enveloping  the  reproach  in  terms  of  highest  courtesy,  said 
that  at  her  sight  he  no  longer  wondered  at  the  number  of 
enemies  she  had  enlisted  against  him  and  at  the  tenacity 
of  Germany's  resistance.  Alexander,  perceiving  the  neces- 
sity of  changing  the  current  of  a  conversation  that  was  be- 
coming dangerous,  observed,  with  that  subtlety  which  was 
one  of  the  remarkable  traits  of  his  character,  that  all  efforts 
had  remained  fruitless  because  of  the  genius  of  him  against 
whom  they  had  been  directed,  and  modestly  confessed  that 
to  try  to  oppose  him  one  must  not  know  him. 

Thus  ended  the  first  interview,  which  was  followed  by 
a  royal  banquet.  For  this  occasion  the  queen  doffed  her 
mourning  and  resumed  the  crown  and  purple,  which  she 
wore  with  a  rare  dignity.  The  emperor  led  the  queen  to 
table,  and  seated  her  at  his  right  hand.  Adding  to  her 
cleverness  the  faculty  of  mingling  in  the  most  important 
concerns,  she  contrived  to  find  favour  before  the  man  who 
held  the  fate  of  Prussia  in  his  hand. 

At  the  farewell  hour  Napoleon,  won  over  by  the  insinuat- 
ing ways  of  Alexander — whom  he  called  the  handsomest 


98  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

and  subtlest  of  Greeks — and  also  by  the  repentant  beauty 
of  the  Queen  of  Prussia,  made  her  a  gift  of  Silesia,  with 
one  stroke  of  his  pen  cancelling  the  article  of  the  treaty 
by  which  this  province  was  already  taken  from  Prussia,  a 
piece  of  liberality  on  the  conqueror's  part  which  M.  de 
Talleyrand  was  far  from  approving. 

As  for  the  King  of  Prussia,  his  nullity  made  him  dumb. 
He  had  made  war  to  satisfy  the  queen's  ambitious  desires; 
he  made  peace,  happy  to  take  up  his  gentle  habits  again  with- 
out much  calculation  of  what  he  might  have  lost  or  of  what 
he  might  have  won. 

From  all  these  negotiations  there  resulted  for  us  but  the 
creation  of  the  modest  Duchy  of  Warsaw.  It  was  less  than 
our  aspirations  and  endeavours  presaged.  But  we  thought 
of  the  future  in  order  to  endure  the  present. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
MARSHAL  DAVOUT 

MARSHAL    DAVOUT,     GOVERNOR    OF    WARSAW HIS     WIFE 

GENERAL     RICARD PRINCE     MURAT     AND     HIS     LIVERY 

DEPARTURE    OF    M.    DE    F T HIS    LETTER DEATH    OF 

MADAME  DE  CRACOVIE,   l8o8. 

THE  emperor  returned  to  France,  to  enjoy  the  intoxica- 
tion which  this  short  and  brilliant  Prussian  campaign  had 
caused.  We  were  not  yet  tired  of  victory.  Marshal  Da- 
vout  was  left  us,  who  took  command  of  the  town  and  exer- 
cised such  political  influence  as  his  rather  limited  means 
permitted.  Taken  on  the  whole,  he  was  one  of  the  best 
men  in  the  army.  It  may  be  presumed  that  Napoleon, 
knowing  his  marshals  to  the  core,  appointed  this  one  because 
he  was  sure  of  his  devotion,  as  well  as  of  his  morality.  He 
did  not  wish  to  surrender  to  pillage  a  country  which  he 
might  afterwards  use  as  a  strong  barrier  against  his  enemies. 
He  had  become  but  too  well  acquainted,  during  this  short 
space  of  time,  with  the  enormous  resources  he  would  find 
in  a  nation  always  disposed  to  the  most  strenuous  efforts 
(and  to  the  greatest  sacrifices,  so  long  as  the  recovery  of 
independence  was  in  view)  not  to  reserve  this  powerful 
lever,  in  case  of  need. 

99 


100  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

So  the  marshal  had  orders  to  treat  us  considerately,  to 
flatter  and  amuse  us.  He  sent  for  his  wife,  so  as  to  keep 
house  on  a  grand  scale,  and  as  a  subsidy  received  the  Grand 
Duchy  of  Lowicz. 

The  lady  marshal,  a  woman  of  severe  beauty,  was  a 
worthy  person.  Brought  up  at  Madame  de  Campan's,  she 
had  acquired  distinguished  manners  there,  and  also  the  tone 
of  good  society,  in  which  her  husband  was  deficient;  but 
she  did  not  make  herself  beloved,  as  she  was  none  too  agree- 
able. She  was  said  to  be  possessed  with  the  perpetual  jeal- 
ousy that  the  marshal's  fugitive  loves  aroused  in  her;  he, 
like  all  the  Frenchmen,  raved  over  the  Polish  women,  and 
seemed  ill  convenienced  by  the  presence  of  his  wife,  and 
he  had,  besides,  a  Frenchwoman  who  was  supposed  to  be 
his  wife's  image,  and  who,  thanks  to  these  legitimate  exter- 
nals, had  followed  the  army,  to  the  emperor's  profound  dis- 
pleasure. 

All  these  circumstances  combined  had  the  effect  of  mak- 
ing the  duchess  indifferent  to  rendering  her  house  a  pleasant 
resort,  and  of  her  husband  going  to  seek  distraction  else- 
where. 

The  marshal's  staff  did  not  abound  with  prominent  indi- 
viduals. M.  Anatole  de  Montesquiou,  then  very  young, 
was  the  only  one  we  were  glad  to  see ;  his  education  corre- 
sponded to  his  name. 

Among  the  generals  with  this  army  only  one  was  really 
a  man  of  note,  and  I  am  still  surprised  that  he  was  not 
spoken  of  more,  his  superiority  being  incontestable.  Once 
a  friend  and  companion  to  Napoleon,  General  Ricard  had 
fallen  into  disgrace  because  he  vowed  fidelity  to  Moreau, 
under  whom  he  had  served  and  for  whom  he  professed  a 
lively  admiration.  He  took  no  pains  to  conceal  his  feelings 
at  a  time  when  Moreau  was  deserted  by  every  one.  This 
noble  and  courageous  integrity  by  no  means  prevented  his 


.• 


GENERAL  RICARD. 

From  an  engraving  by  Forestier. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  ioi 

paying  loud  tribute  to  the  genius  and  high  talents  of  Napo- 
leon, whom  he  perhaps  respected  less  as  an  emperor  than 
he  had  respected  him  as  a  commander-in-chief  when  Bona- 
parte, after  subduing  Italy,  astonished  the  world  by  his 
precocious  ability. 

General  Ricard  eclipsed  his  comrades,  yet  there  were 
pleasant  people  among  them.  The  French  of  those  days 
were  passionately  fond  of  amusement,  and  did  everything 
with  spirit.  There  were  plays,  there  was  dancing;  sleigh- 
ing parties  were  organised.  We  might  well  take  advan- 
tage of  this  moment's  respite;  under  Napoleon  peace  was 
never  but  a  short  truce  to  be  employed  in  resting  and  re- 
cuperating, so  as  to  be  all  the  fresher  at  the  first  call.  Not 
all  were  equally  well  bestowed;  many  passed  their  winter 
sadly  in  their  cantonments  at  the  end  of  Silesia.  M.  de 

F was  one  of  these.  Prince  Murat  having  proposed  to 

make  his  adjutants  wear  the  colours  of  his  livery  in  the 

shape  of  a  fantastic  uniform,  M.  de  F incurred  his 

wrath  by  joining  those  who  refused  to  wear  the  livery;  he 
preferred  to  be  sent  back  to  his  regiment  while  the  prince  re- 
turned to  Paris,  his  brow  bedecked  with  laurels  and  all  ready 
to  receive  the  crown. 

The  rebel  wrote  me  and  related  his  mishap.  He  de- 
clared that  he  did  not  at  all  wish  to  return  to  Paris,  and 
that  he  would  apply  to  Marshal  Davout  for  leave  to  spend 
some  time  at  Warsaw.  In  case  the  marshal  should  refuse, 

M.  de  F had  decided  to  take  the  journey  secretly,  if, 

however,  he  said,  the  only  authority  to  which  he  submitted 
without  appeal  would  vouchsafe  not  to  forbid,  and  if  he 
was  sure  not  to  displease  those  whom  he  wished  to  see. 

This  letter  disquieted  me.  I  had  made  honest  endeavours 
to  chase  away  from  my  memory  so  dangerous  an  image; 
I  saw  it  arise  anew  and  threatening.  My  friend  Madame 
Sobolewska  happily  interposed.  I  showed  her  the  letter, 


102  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

pretending  not  to  take  to  myself  the  sub-meanings  it  con- 
veyed. I  ascribed  M.  de  F 's  journey  to  the  very  natu- 
ral desire  for  a  little  distraction  and  amusement.  I  most 
vigorously  espoused  the  defence  of  one  whom  nobody  was 
attacking. 

My  friend  let  me  talk,  and  took  care  not  to  contradict 
me;  but  when  she  saw  I  was  calmer  she  looked  at  me  fix- 
edly, and,  calling  upon  my  candour,  merely  asked  me  if  I 
really  had  the  least  doubt  as  to  the  object  of  this  journey. 
She  added  that  did  I  give  my  consent,  I  acquiesced  in  defeat 
beforehand. 

I  answered  the  insinuating  letter  with  pleasantries,  and 
succeeded  so  well  that  I  removed  any  notion  of  increased 

intimacy.  A  few  months  later  M.  de  F was  recalled 

to  Paris  through  the  offices  of  a  person  in  very  high  sta- 
tion, who  had  long  been  enamoured  of  him  without  his 
knowledge. 

A  courier  sent  by  my  mother  from  Bialystok  quickly 
turned  my  thoughts  into  a  different  channel.  The  an- 
nouncement was  that  Madame  de  Cracovie,  being  very  sick, 
had  expressed  her  wish  to  see  us,  to  give  us  her  blessing 
once  more.  We  left  at  once.  I  find  among  my  papers  the 
fragment  of  a  journal  I  wrote  in  1808,  at  a  period  when  I 
had  not  yet  thought  of  narrating  my  memories.  I  copy 
faithfully  from  the  journal. 

Bialystok,  February  p,  1808. — Here  I  am  in  this  castle, 
where  I  spent  so  many  happy  and  tranquil  years.  At  every 
step  I  pick  up  a  reminiscence  and  experience  a  regret.  The 
sensation  is  at  once  sweet  and  painful — all  has  passed  away, 
all  must  pass  away! 

I  see  that  dearest  aunt  again ;  they  are  trembling  for  her 
life.  I  have  encountered  death  for  the  first  time.  That 
room,  so  sad  and  dark,  those  sobs  suppressed,  and  that 


THE  KING  AND  QUEEN  OF  PRUSSIA. 

From  a  rare  print. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  103 

mute  despair  have  made  a  mark  upon  my  mind  that  nothing 
can  wash  away. 

Poor  little  Amelia  de  Bassompierre  is  weeping  hot  tears, 
and  she  is  right — she  loved  her  so  much!  The  rest  of  the 
family  is  only  behaving  with  propriety. 

The  loth,  Morning. — I  have  not  been  able  to  shut  an  eye 
— and  to-morrow  I  shall  perhaps  bewail  this  night  that  has 
seemed  so  long!  She  is  still  alive,  at  least! 

This  morning  they  prepared  her  to  receive  me.  The 
news  of  our  arrival  had  apparently  revived  her.  Towards 
noon  the  doctor  came  for  us.  Heavens!  how  could  I  go 
to  her  so  courageously,  smile  in  talking  to  her,  and  not 
break  into  tears  when  she  gave  me  her  hand  to  kiss.  /  have 
not  the  strength  to  tell  you  how  well  I  love  you,  she  said 
to  me  in  a  voice  that  was  rather  broken  than  faint.  Then 
she  spoke  of  my  poor  little  children,  whom  I  have  not 
thought  of  these  two  days.  My  husband  not  drawing  near, 
she  did  not  notice  him  on  account  of  the  darkness  which 
reigned  in  this  great  chamber  stretched  with  red  gold-laced 
damask.  She  told  me  to  bring  him,  and,  though  she  seemed 
tired,  after  collecting  herself  for  a  moment,  pressed  his 
hand,  saying  in  fairly  firm  tones : 

"I  commend  to  you  all  that  is  dear  to  me  in  this  world — 
your  wife  and  her  mother.  Always  watch  over  their  hap- 
piness." 

She  signed  to  us  to  go,  but  directly  called  me  back, 
and  said,  with  that  look  of  ineffable,  saintly  goodness  pe- 
culiar to  her  in  her  sickness : 

"Send  your  mother  away ;  take  her  away,  I  beseech  you ! 
What  a  sight  for  her!" 

And  when  I  sought  to  quiet  her  by  explaining  that  we 
would  not  depart  before  she  was  completely  restored,  she 
shook  her  head — a  beatific  smile  flitted  across  her  face,  and, 
giving  me  her  hand,  she  added: 


104  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

"You  cannot  conceive  what  good  you  are  doing  me;  you 
give  me  back  my  peace,  and  since  you  have  decided,  stay 
a  few  days  more — it  will  not  be  long.  Now  I  shall  die 
easy — I  was  so  distressed  about  your  poor  mother !" 

Seeing  her  perfectly  calm,  I  tried  to  talk  to  her  of  various 
things  I  thought  likely  to  interest  her.  She  listened  to  me 
attentively. 

I  am  in  her  room  all  day,  or  in  the  adjoining  closet.  I 
weep  no  more,  and  I  even  am  accustoming  myself  to  this 
mournful  spectacle;  there  is  a  sort  of  sweetness  attaching 
to  the  care  you  bestow  on  one  beloved,  and  which  silences 
every  other  feeling.  I  shall  be  with  her  until  the  end. 
This  pure  soul  will  give  mine  the  certainty  which  I  so  sorely 
need. 

She  has  said  her  prayers  and  received  the  sacrament.  I 
could  not  bear  the  formalities  of  the  ceremony.  But  she — 
how  calmly  she  prepared  for  it!  You  would  have  said  a 
feast  that  she  was  impatiently  awaiting.  She  does  not  re- 
gret her  life  at  all,  and  yet  at  times  it  looks  as  though  she 
feared  death  physically,  and  recoiled  before  the  idea  of  de- 
struction. So  it  is  very  hard  to  die ! 

The  I2th,  Evening. — Should  it  be  possible  to  become  used 
to  everything?  I  feel  neither  so  sorrowful  nor  so  down- 
cast as  before;  perhaps  hope  has  glided  into  my  heart.  It 
is  impossible  to  imagine  the  thought  of  losing  those  who 
are  dear  to  us,  and  it  is  enough  to  know  the  danger  dimin- 
ishing a  little  to  believe  it  over. 

She  has  had  a  passable  night,  and  has  taken  a  little  nour- 
ishment. Nevertheless,  the  doctor  disheartens  me ;  he  finds 
her  very  bad  still.  But  they  say  that  doctors  are  often 
mistaken.  She  is  interested  in  everything  that  is  said. 
Heavens!  how  happy  it  makes  me  to  see  her  smile!  This 
is  perhaps  a  time  of  which  I  shall  cherish  the  dearest  memo- 
ries. I  feel  beloved  and  useful.  That  is  a  consolation  for 


COUNTESS   POTOCKA  105 

living.  I  said  consolation!  Not  that  I  am  tired  of  exist- 
ence, but  that  I  do  not  understand  how  one  can  set  any  value 
upon  it  otherwise  than  by  feeling  one's  self  necessary  to 
the  happiness  of  others. 

The  1 3th,  Noon. — She  is  very  ill !  The  night  was  fear- 
ful ;  she  is  weakening  visibly,  and  now  only  speaks  when  it 
cannot  possibly  be  avoided;  but  she  is  quite  conscious,  and 
recognises  everybody. 

The  post  has  not  come :  I  have  no  news  of  my  children. 
At  any  other  time  I  should  be  alarmed  and  disconsolate, 
for  my  mother-in-law  had  promised  to  send  word  by  every 
post.  To-day  I  must  not  think  of  all  that  endears  life  to 
me,  in  that  room  where  everything  breathes  death,  dissolu- 
tion, eternity. 

When  I  am  in  her  chamber  and  hear  the  old  clock  strike, 
I  involuntarily  shudder  at  the  thought  of  its  soon  ringing 
the  fatal  hour. 

Midnight. — There  is  no  more  hope.  She  has  been  in 
horrible  agony  for  two  or  three  hours.  She  could  find  no 
place  to  lay  her  head.  From  time  to  time  she  asked  if  the 
night  was  bright,  and  if  many  stars  were  out.  When  I  ap- 
proached to  kiss  her  hand  I  found  it  quite  cold.  I  took  it 
very  gently  to  put  it  to  my  forehead.  I  believe  she  under- 
stood, and  blessed  me;  then  she  told  me  not  to  go  away 
and  not  to  speak  to  her.  I  think  she  was  praying. 

It  is  cruel  to  see  her  suffer  so — is  that  the  death  of  the 
righteous?  Now  she  is  asleep,  and  the  doctor  asserts  she 
will  live  till  to-morrow.  O  God,  what  a  terrible  night! 

The  1 4th. — All  is  over !  She  expired  about  two  o'clock. 
Her  end  was  as  gentle  as  her  life,  and  her  face  kept  that  ex- 
pression of  kindness  which  made  her  so  dear  to  us.  A  few 
minutes  before  her  death  she  spoke  again.  The  fire  was 
crackling ;  she  requested  that  no  more  wood  be  put  on,  wish- 
ing for  absolute  silence  and  peace. 


106  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

Perceiving  that  one  of  her  maids  was  weeping,  she  gave 
her  her  handkerchief,  motioning  to  her  not  to  speak.  Very 
often  she  asked  whether  the  night  was  fine — the  poor  saint 
was  thinking  of  her  journey.  She  seemed  in  haste  to  quit 
the  earth,  and  at  every  moment  asked  the  hour.  About 
two  o'clock  she  fell  peacefully  asleep,  and  never  woke 
again ! 

The  doctor  having  declared  to  my  mother  that  the  pa- 
tient was  not  near  her  end,  we  retired  to  take  a  little  rest. 
At  four  o'clock  I  was  awakened  by  the  sound  of  bells;  I 
trembled,  but  did  not  dare  to  ask  questions.  I  ran  to  my 
mother — our  tears  told  us  what  we  were  afraid  to  ask  one 
another. 

The  i/th. — We  leave  to-morrow.  So  I  shall  never  see 
this  room  again  where  I  am  writing,  and  in  which  I  lived 
during  the  happiest  years  of  my  life.  I,  also,  perhaps  have 
lived  half  of  my  life.  It  will  come  to  me,  that  redoubtable 
moment!  But  she  will  help  me,  she  will  watch  over  me! 
May  my  life  be  worthy  of  such  protection ! 

The  20th,  Warsaw. — Here  I  am  again.  Sometimes  it 
seems  as  though  I  had  been  through  a  hideous  dream.  The 
dream  has  broken  my  heart;  it  has  robbed  life  of  its  charm. 
I  shun  the  world ;  my  children  only  are  bearable  to  me. 

Note. — After  a  few  years  M.  de  Cracovie's  heirs,  who 
owned  Bialystok,  sold  that  magnificent  property  to  the  Em- 
peror Alexander,  who  had  the  castle  kept  in  good  order,  and 
counted  this  splendid  habitation  among  the  imperial  resi- 
dences. 

The  Emperor  Nicholas,  careless  of  historical  memories, 
transformed  the  castle  into  a  boarding  school,  and  had  the 
superb  orange  trees  taken  to  Saint  Petersburg.  A  large 
portion  of  the  oldest  trees  perished  in  the  long  transit. 


PART  THE  THIRD 
JOURNEY  TO  FRANCE  IN  1810 


CHAPTER    I 

PRELIMINARIES  OF  MARIE-LOUISE'S 
MARRIAGE 

DEATH   OF   THE   WRITER'S   FATHER,    COUNT   TYSZKIEWICZ — 

DEPARTURE      FOR      VIENNA VIENNESE      SOCIETY — THE 

PRINCE  DE  LIGNE — HIS  MARRIAGE — COUNT  CHARLES  DE 
DAMAS — COUNTESS  PALFFY — NEWS  FROM  PARIS RE- 
CRIMINATIONS OF  THE  VIENNESE  ARISTOCRACY — ARRIVAL 
OF  BERTHIER — LETTER  FROM  NAPOLEON  TO  THE  ARCH- 
DUKE CHARLES. 

THOSE  who  write  their  memoirs  usually  treat  their 
readers  with  insufficient  frankness.  They  nearly  all 
prune  their  reminiscences,  and  set  them  down  according 
to  their  sweet  will.  Right  or  wrong,  I  have  left  mine  all 
their  imperfections,  and  I  have  refrained  from  deadening 
the  colour  of  their  day.  In  a  word,  I  have  not  made  them 
over.  The  distinct  shades  that  the  years  lend  our  impres- 
sions will  be  found  in  them.  Everything,  to  the  difference 
in  the  writing,  bears  witness  to  the  veracity  of  these  pages. 

It  is  here  that  the  first  blank  will  be  detected. 

Engrossed  by  the  sorrow  that  the  news  of  my  father's 
sudden  illness  caused  me,  I  left  all  other  interests  out  of 
sight,  and  at  once  determined  to  request  a  passport  to  Wilna. 
The  odious  delays  of  the  Russian  government  deprived  me 

109 


HO  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

of  the  consolation  of  finding  my  father  alive,  and  of  at  least 
receiving  his  last  blessing.  I  arrived  too  late. 

I  returned  to  Warsaw,  but  my  mother  was  there  no 
longer.  Since  Madame  de  Cracovie's  death  she  had  settled 
in  Vienna.  Not  wishing  to  be  presented  at  court,  she  had 
afterwards  taken  up  her  residence  at  Baden,  proposing  to 
live  there  unknown.  Her  only  society  was  a  Swiss  family, 
to  whom  she  had  become  attached. 

In  the  very  middle  of  a  rather  stiff  winter  my  good 
mother  invited  us  to  visit  her  at  Baden.  After  a  month, 
imagining  that  we  were  making  too  great  a  sacrifice  in  re- 
nouncing the  pleasures  of  the  capital,  she  persuaded  us  to 
go  to  Vienna  to  pass  the  rest  of  the  winter.  She  promised 
soon  to  join  us  there.  My  husband  too  was  beginning  to 
tire  of  the  monotony  of  our  life,  and  I  gladly  acceded  to 
my  mother's  suggestion. 

The  de  Ligne  house  was  then  the  centre  where  all  promi- 
nent strangers  gathered,  and  to  which  an  introduction  was 
the  object  of  eager  solicitation.  Taken  in  with  especial 
kindness  and  thoughtfulness,  I  found  it  a  more  amusing 
resort  than  any  other.  That  modest  little  saloon,  whither 
straw-bottomed  chairs  were  fetched  from  the  hall  when 
there  were  too  few;  that  frugal  supper,  where  the  con- 
versation was  the  dominating  charm;  that  delightful  good 
nature — all  that  is  well  worth  dwelling  on  with  affection, 
and  it  would  be  ungrateful  to  pass  over  it. 

The  famous  Prince  de  Ligne  was,  at  more  than  seventy, 
still  one  of  the  wittiest  and  brilliant  talkers  of  his  circle — 
far  more  remarkable  by  his  conversation  than  by  his  works. 
Indulgent,  easy-going,  and  kind,  he  was  adored  by  his  chil- 
dren, and  loved  them  because  they  were  lovable,  ascrib- 
ing no  importance  to  anything  but  the  amenities  of  exist- 
ence, for  he  believed  in  good  faith  that  he  had  been  put  into 
the  world  for  the  sole  purpose  of  enjoying  himself.  If  he 


PRINCE  DE  LIGNE. 

From  an  engraving  by  Ca:enavt. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  m 

had  been  seen  in  the  pursuit  of  fame  in  his  youth,  it  was 
because  fame  promised  him  fresh  amatory  triumphs,  and 
because  one  is  sometimes  the  more  acceptable  for  being  able 
to  write  a  love'  letter  on  a  laurel  leaf.  The  owner  of  a 
considerable  fortune,  which,  like  his  life,  he  had  squan- 
dered in  all  possible  ways,  he  endured  the  penury  to  which 
his  prodigalities  had  condemned  him  with  stoical  good 
humour.  His  humble  straw-bottomed  chairs,  his  leg  of 
mutton,  his  immortal  piece  of  cheese,  gave  room  to  a  thou- 
sand witty  and  welcome  jokes.  You  would  have  said  he 
had  gained  in  mirth  what  he  had  lost  in  fortune,  and  that, 
like  the  sage  of  old  who  threw  his  treasure  into  the  sea  to 
achieve  happiness,  he  had  wanted  to  be  poor. 

The  princess  had  none  of  the  requisites  for  being  so  philo- 
sophical ;  husband  and  wife  seemed  to  speak  different  lan- 
guages, and  never  to  have  told  each  other  anything. 

The  princess  was  issued  from  one  of  the  highest  families 
of  Germany ;  but  she  was  poor,  as  all  the  titled  girls  of  that 
country  are,  and  as  fully  devoid  of  charm  and  brain.  It 
was  impossible  to  understand  what  had  moved  the  prince 
to  this  match,  inasmuch  as  he  did  not  approve  of  German 
alliances.  His  old  friends  repeated  a  jest  he  let  out  when 
for  the  first  time  he  took  his  young  wife  to  Brussels,  where 
his  regiment  was  garrisoned.  This  jest  depicted  his  roguish 
wit  and  his  extreme  frivolity  at  the  same  time.  The  offi- 
cers having  assembled  to  be  presented  to  the  princess,  he 
said  to  them : 

"I  am  most  sensible,  gentlemen,  to  your  amiable  assidu- 
ity; you  shall  see  her;  I  warn  you,  alas!  that  she  is  not 
at  all  pretty,  but,  being  at  any  rate  very  good  and  very  sim- 
ple, she  will  be  in  nobody's  way,  not  even  in  mine!" 

Being,  at  the  time  I  speak  of,  already  far  advanced  in 
years,  she  easily  gave  way  to  ill  temper,  but  that  was  taken 
no  notice  of ;  her  acquaintances  would  then  leave  her  to  her 


II2  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

needlework,  and,  while  she  was  doing  the  most  atrocious 
embroidering,  would  form  in  groups  about  the  prince  and 
his  daughters,  with  whom  conversation  was  carried  on  in  a 
spirit  of  enthusiasm  and  freedom,  with  a  taste  and  grace 
I  have  never  encountered  elsewhere.  By  the  report  of  old- 
time  French  people,  the  conversation  of  the  Paris  saloons 
had  taken  refuge  in  this  humble  little  dwelling  since  the 
Revolution  had  banished  it  from  the  purlieus  of  the  capital, 
where  it  had  formerly  flourished.  I  certainly  never  met 
so  agreeable  a  society  in  Paris;  there  the  politest  pleasures 
were  spoilt  by  political  partisanship.  Among  the  foremost 
frequenters  of  the  de  Ligne  establishment  I  will  mention 
Count  Charles  de  Damas,  who,  obstinate  in  his  emigration, 
persistently  awaited  the  return  of  the  Bourbons.  Settled 
in  Vienna  for  many  years,  he  had  but  once  absented  him- 
self, during  what  he  called  the  invasion  of  the  blues. 

No  sooner  was  the  town  evacuated  than  he  came  back  to 
stay,  as  in  the  past,  with  his  old  friends;  but  not  without 
reluctance  did  he  forgive  the  Prince  de  Ligne  for  having 
admitted  his  strayed  countrymen,  as  he  called  all  those  who 
had  subscribed  to  the  new  government.  Very  clever,  but 
subject  to  the  queerest  freaks,  all  his  extravagances  were 
overlooked  because  of  his  fine  character  and  extreme  origi- 
nality. I  have  heard  him  employ  all  his  eloquence  in  prov- 
ing that  it  is  sometimes  permissible  to  show  bad  behaviour 
on  condition  of  never  showing  bad  taste,  and  hence  he  be- 
lieved in  his  right  to  say  anything. 

We  thought  we  should  die  of  laughter  one  day  when  he 
related,  in  the  most  serious  fashion  in  the  world,  how  the 
second  of  the  Prince  de  Ligne's  daughters,  Countess  Palffy, 
an  angel  of  virtue  and  purity,  had  induced  him  to  make 
evil  acquaintances,  by  pointing  out  the  abode  of  the  most 
famous  "nymphs,"  in  order,  he  said,  to  save  the  reputation 
of  the  respectable  women  he  might  pay  his  addresses  to. 
Now,  with  a  chin  of  which  he  had  left  half  at  the  siege  of 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  113 

Belgrade,  and  his  fifty  years,  the  poor  hero  offered  suffi- 
cient guarantees  of  safety. 

Independently  of  the  de  Lignes,  we  spent  our  time  profit- 
ably with  some  of  our  compatriots.  One  of  the  pleasantest 
houses,  or  rather  one  of  the  most  refined,  was  the  Countess 
Lanckoronska's,  although,  to  say  truth,  the  mistress  was 
too  much  of  an  Austrian. 

One  evening,  as  we  were  having  an  animated  discussion, 
over  a  tea  table,  about  current  events,  some  one  came  in 
and  proclaimed  the  arrival  of  a  courier  from  Paris.  Vienna 
had  suffered  much  from  the  visit  of  the  French ;  the  inhabi- 
tants were  still  labouring  under  painful  reminiscences,  and 
the  secrecy  observed  as  to  the  newly  arrived  despatches 
threw  the  town  into  consternation. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  Poles  assembled  in  this  bril- 
liant saloon,  all  who  were  there  hated  Napoleon  beyond 
measure.  The  most  vehement,  as  well  as  the  most  danger- 
ous, of  his  enemies  was  undoubtedly  the  Corsican  Pozzo 
di  Borgo,  who  alone  could  talk  and  hate  better  than  all 
the  Germans  in  the  room.  We  were  listening  to  his  prophe- 
cies when  Count  Razumowski,  the  Russian  ambassador, 
was  announced. 

We  all  ran  to  meet  him,  and  overwhelmed  him  with  ques- 
tions. The  expression  of  his  face  was  not  reassuring.  He 
seemed  unhinged;  his  voice  failed  him.  It  was  only  after 
some  minutes  of  premonitory  silence  that  he  was  able  to 
inform  us  that  the  mysterious  courier,  the  cause  of  our 
recent  apprehensions,  was  only  preceding  Marshal  Berthier 
by  a  few  hours,  whose  remarkable  mission  had  the  object 
of  asking  the  Archduchess  Marie-Louise  in  marriage  for 
his  august  master.  Moreover,  this  upstart  soldier,  this 
prince  of  yesterday's  creation,  was  elected  to  the  signal 
honour  of  representing  the  emperor  and  king  on  this  aus- 
picious occasion! 

This  startling  proceeding  was  the  sequel  to  the  privy 


114  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

negotiations  concluded  and  signed  by  M.  de  Metternich,  at 
Paris,  by  the  sanction  and  in  name  of  the  Emperor  Francis. 
The  Prince  de  Neufchatel  was  at  the  extreme  frontier  met 
by  one  of  the  greatest  noblemen  of  the  country,  Prince  Paul 
Esterhazy. 

These  details,  communicated  to  us  in  a  state  of  feverish 
irritation,  could  not  but  be  true.  You  would  have  said  that 
lightning,  striking  an  electric  wire,  had  pulverised  the  per- 
sons who  were  crowding  round  M.  de  Razumowski.  The 
reaction  was  not  long  in  coming;  after  an  instant  of  mute 
stupour,  a  cry  of  horror  spontaneously  burst  from  the  whole 
room.  Exclamations  were  loud  against  the  impropriety 
and  baseness  of  a  match  that  put  the  first  princess  of  Europe 
into  the  power  of  the  most  infamous  usurper! 

There  was  nothing  but  imprecations  and  stifled  sobs. 
The  ladies  had  nervous  attacks,  and  the  men  let  themselves 
go  from  indignation  to  fury.  There  is  no  more  justice  to 
be  hoped  for  on  this  earth,  was  the  cry.  There  is  nothing 
to  do  but  to  leave  Europe  and  become  American  colonists, 
said  the  women.  The  most  sensitive  declared  that  the 
young  princess  would  die  of  it,  and  that  such  a  sacrilege 
would  never  be  consummated.  Others  asserted  that  Napo- 
leon would  become  insane  with  glee,  and  that  heaven  would 
countenance  such  a  scandal  only  to  thunder  down  its  wrath 
the  heavier  upon  the  modern  Nebuchadnezzar. 

I  was  calm  in  the  midst  of  the  storm.  A  sudden  idea 
seized  upon  my  imagination. 

"  How  amusing,"  said  I  to  myself,  "to  go  to  Paris  now, 
for  this  brilliant  misalliance!" 

I  spent  the  remainder  of  the  evening  meditating  over 
this  project,  and,  on  arriving  at  home,  at  once  confided  it 
to  my  husband. 

Unfortunately,  he  took  no  interest  in  anything  outside 
his  regular  avocations,  and  was  hoping  to  return  to  Poland. 


'  -I  V 

MARIE  LOUISE, 
Archduchess  of  Austria,  Empress  of  France. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  115 

Far  from  opposing  my  wish,  which  at  bottom  was  as  yet 
but  a  dream ,  he  wrote  to  his  parents,  who  hastened  to  send 
me  not  only  their  formal  permission,  but  added  instructions 
concerning  an  important  piece  of  business  they  committed 
to  my  care. 

The  day  after  this  stormy  tea  party  the  same  individuals 
met  together  at  the  same  hour,  at  the  same  place,  for,  while 
severely  disapproving  the  event,  they  were  dying  to  hear  the 
smallest  details.  It  may  be  readily  gathered  that  I  was 
there  too. 

Prince  Esterhazy  had  conducted  the  ambassador  to  the 
imperial  palace,  where  a  lodging  was  ready  for  him,  in  spite 
of  custom  and  etiquette.  To  make  his  official  entry  into 
the  town,  he  was  obliged  to  cross  a  bridge  hastily  thrown 
over  the  ruins  of  the  fortifications  which  the  French  army 
had  blown  up  as  they  retired.  The  very  day  of  his  ar- 
rival the  marshal  was  received  by  the  Emperor  Francis  in 
special  audience,  when  the  solemn  demand  was  made. 

Thereupon  the  ambassador  immediately  remitted  to  the 
Archduke  Charles  an  autograph  letter  from  the  Emperor 
Napoleon,  which  authorised  that  prince  to  marry  the  arch- 
duchess in  his  name.  I  had  great  trouble  in  procuring  a 
copy  of  the  letter ;  however,  I  succeeded,  and  here  it  is : 

"SiR  COUSIN:  I  owe  thanks  to  your  Imperial  High- 
ness for  consenting  to  represent  me  in  my  marriage  with 
the  Archduchess  Marie-Louise.  Your  Imperial  Highness 
knows  that  my  old  esteem  is  founded  on  your  eminent  quali- 
ties, as  well  as  on  your  great  actions.  Intensely  desirous 
of  giving  you  a  rich  proof  hereof,  I  beg  you  to  accept  the 
grand  cordon  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  and  also  the  cross 
of  that  order,  which  I  always  wear  myself,  and  with  which 
twenty  thousand  soldiers  are  decorated  who  have  distin- 
guished themselves  on  the  field  of  honour.  The  first  of 
these  decorations  is  the  tribute  due  to  your  genius  as  a 
general,  and  the  second  to  your  bravery  as  a  soldier." 


Il6  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

The  next  day  but  one  the  signature  of  the  civil  contract 
was  proceeded  with,  and  payment  was  made  of  the  dowry 
allotted  from  times  immemorial  to  archduchesses,  which 
was  limited  to  five  hundred  thousand  francs  in  gold. 

The  eleventh  of  March,  1810,  the  religious  ceremony  was 
celebrated  at  the  Augustine  church,  followed  by  an  imperial 
banquet,  at  which  the  ambassador  was  present,  contrary  to 
the  etiquette  of  the  court  of  Vienna,  which  in  no  case  admits 
strangers  to  a  family  festivity. 


) Jvr  the  J«iefys  J/iya&nf. 


A  K  C 


Front  an  engraving,  by  Heath,  0/1810. 


CHAPTER  II 

M.  DE  NARBONNE 

MARIE-LOUISE'S  SLIPPER — M.  DE  NARBONNE  AT  THE  PRINCE 
DE  LIGNE'S — A  MENTOR — ARRIVAL  AT  MUNICH — THE 
BATH — CELADON — LONE  JOURNEY  TO  STRASSBURG. 

IN  the  meanwhile  Count  Louis  de  Narbonne  appeared,  as 
ambassador  extraordinary,  charged  with  escorting,  or  rather 
preceding,  the  young  empress,  in  order  to  enforce  the  cere- 
monial governing  such  a  case  and  to  depart  in  nothing  from 
the  rites  observed  at  the  date  of  Marie-Antoinette's  advent. 

Slightly  favoured  by  nature,  nothing  was  remarkable 
about  Marie-Louise  but  the  beauty  of  her  foot.  M.  Ana- 
tole  de  Montesquieu,  sent  as  a  courier  to  apprise  Napoleon 
of  the  accomplishment  of  the  wedding  and  of  the  day  fixed 
for  the  departure  of  the  illustrious  betrothed,  was  secretly 
enjoined  by  M.  de  Narbonne  to  present  to  His  Majesty  the 
little  slipper  of  the  princess  in  the  form  of  a  portrait.  This 
entirely  new  kind  of  attention  met  with  the  highest  appre- 
ciation at  the  French  court.  It  was  even  said  that  Napo- 
leon had  placed  against  his  heart  this  first  pledge  of  an, 
alas!  ephemeral  love. 

Projected  into  Austrian  society  to  counterbalance  Ber- 
thier's  vulgarity  and  roughness  by  the  behaviour  of  a  great 
lord  and  the  ways  of  a  courtier,  M.  de  Narbonne  was  most 
politely  welcomed. 

117 


Il8  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

I  saw  him  daily  at  the  de  Lignes,  where  he  had  set  up 
what  he  called  his  headquarters.  There,  stripping  off  his 
ambassadorial  dignity,  he  often  amused  us  at  the  expense  of 
the  great  personages  he  was  in  communication  with,  who, 
indignant  in  their  hearts  at  the  proceedings,  hardly  knew 
what  attitude  to  assume  not  to  arouse  displeasure  by  a  too 
open  disapprobation. 

An  exceedingly  amiable  old  gentleman,  he  had  in  his 
youth  known  glittering  successes  in  gallantry  at  the  court 
of  France.  Carried  away  by  the  Revolution,  he  seemed  a 
faithful  adherent  of  the  imperial  government,  and  exerted 
himself  for  a  less  futile  sort  of  celebrity,  but  one  less  easily 
to  be  obtained. 

Created  minister  of  war  by  Louis  XVI.,  he  kept  this 
exalted  place  for  three  months  only.  The  moderate  roy- 
alists accused  him  of  anglomania,  claiming  that  foreign 
influence  ought  not  to  be  tolerated.  From  another  side 
he  was  furiously  impeached  by  the  clubs  as  an  enemy  of  the 
Revolution  and  the  Jacobins.  He  fled  to  Switzerland,  and 
lost  no  time  in  embarking  for  England,  where  he  learnt 
of  the  death  of  Robespierre.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to 
greet  the  accession  of  Napoleon  upon  his  return  from  Egypt. 

The  Count  de  Narbonne  was  one  of  those  richly  gifted 
men  who  traverse  history  without  leaving  the  glorious  mark 
upon  it  that  their  talents  ought  to  have  impressed.  A  dis- 
tinguished soldier  and  an  able  diplomat,  he  had  all  that  was 
wanted  to  play  a  notable  part  in  those  troublous  times. 
Napoleon's  renown  fascinated  him,  and  from  the  moment 
he  saw  his  ambition  satisfied,  his  affairs  in  order,  and  his 
debts  paid,  he  attached  himself  to  the  conqueror.  I  have 
heard  him  acknowledge  more  than  once  that  not  only  was 
Napoleon  endowed  with  an  entirely  superior  genius,  but 
that  he  even  had  a  very  bright  mind.  This  was  infinitely 
more  than  the  fair  ladies  of  Vienna  allowed  him.  I  hap- 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  119 

pened  to  hear  a  discussion  which  tended  to  prove,  by  alleged 
incontestable  facts,  that  the  monster  was  a  coward,  and  that 
soon  he  would  become  imbecile,  seeing  that  he  was  succumb- 
ing to  epilepsy. 

Despite  these  ridiculous  calumnies,  and  even  while  in- 
dulging in  the  absurdest  outcries,  at  the  occasion  of  the 
betrothal  the  great  Austrian  lords  displayed  a  luxury  and 
magnificence  unheard  of  elsewhere.  The  millions  Napoleon 
lavished  to  put  his  representative  at  a  level  with  his  heredi- 
tary splendour  could  not  efface  that  sort  of  glaring  varnish 
which  is  the  character  of  every  new  dynasty. 

I  go  back  to  M.  de  Narbonne,  who  is  one  of  the  actors 
in  my  memoirs,  being  the  mentor  to  whom  my  husband  en- 
trusted me.  On  reaching  Paris  he  was  to  take  me  to  my 
aunt,  Countess  Tyszkiewicz,  resident  for  many  years  at  the 
capital,  which  she  could  not  bring  it  upon  herself  to  quit. 

Nothing  but  the  marriage  ceremony  was  now  delaying 
our  start. 

I  went  to  ask  my  mother's  blessing,  and  to  bid  her  fare- 
well. She  evinced  surprise  at  this  sudden  departure,  to 
which  she  did  not  object  when  she  found  that  my  husband 
and  his  parents,  far  from  hindering,  were  encouraging  me. 

My  preparations  for  the  journey  were  soon  concluded. 
On  the  appointed  day  I  set  out,  preceded  by  His  Excellency 
the  Ambassador  Extraordinary,  who  was  good  enough  to 
order  my  horses  and  engage  my  lodgings.  A  more  splen- 
did beginning  could  not  have  been  expected. 

At  the  second  relay  my  escort  requested  permission  to 
ride  in  my  coach,  so  as  to  send  on  his  own  carriages  in 
advance. 

I  assented  the  more  readily  as,  being  alone  in  the  enor- 
mous vehicle,  I  had  more  room  than  I  wanted.  I  promised 
myself  invaluable  company.  M.  de  Narbonne,  a  witness 
of  the  great  revolutionary  drama,  knew  all  the  prominent 


120  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

personages  of  that  period;  he  knew  perfectly  how  to  put 
his  audience  into  touch  with  his  experiences,  for  he  pos- 
sessed the  art  of  narration  to  the  highest  degree.  What  a 
godsend  on  a  long  journey ! 

Perhaps  at  the  fireside  he  might  sometimes  have  ap- 
peared to  run  after  wit,  and  to  use  the  insipid  phrases  of 
a  superannuated  gallantry,  but  on  the  highroads  one  is  less 
fastidious.  Moreover,  exceedingly  amiable,  kind,  gentle, 
and  obliging,  governed  by  his  valet — the  veritable  valet  of 
the  play,  who  ruined  him  while  feeding  his  taste  for  ex- 
travagance— he  was  never  in  anxiety  and  always  in  affable 
mood. 

We  rolled  on  to  Munich  without  halting  except  for  light 
repasts,  most  elegantly  served  by  the  adroit  Frontin,  and 
prepared  by  the  ambassador's  head  cook. 

This  manner  of  travel  suited  me  all  the  better  as  I  was 
far  from  suspecting  the  motive  which  actuated  my  mentor, 
and  the  price  he  intended  to  put  on  his  attentions.  I 
credited  them  to  the  age  in  which  M.  de  Narbonne  had 
begun  life,  and  simply  thought  any  old-time  Frenchman 
would  have  done  likewise. 

At  two  stations  from  Munich  the  count  went  on  before 
me,  kindly  undertaking  to  find  me  quarters,  which  was  not 
easy,  since  all  the  hotels  were  filled  with  the  numerous  train 
of  the  Queen  of  Naples,  and  also  with  the  attendants  pro- 
vided for  the  young  empress. 

I  arrived  at  Munich  at  nine  in  the  evening,  and  was 
directed,  by  a  message  left  at  the  town  gate,  to  the  Prinzen- 
hof;  there  I  not  only  found  a  handsome  apartment,  but  a 
bath  all  ready. 

Scarcely  was  I  in  the  water,  when  a  small  door  hidden 
by  a  mirror  opened  softly,  and,  to  my  great  terror,  a  man 
slipped  into  the  room  and  fell  on  one  knee  beside  my  bath. 
I  gave  a  dreadful  shriek.  My  maid  had  just  gone  out  to 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  121 

get  my  dress  ready,  but  luckily  she  had  left  me  a  bell, 
which  I  rang  violently.  Before  she  answered  I  had  time 
to  inspect  the  cause  of  my  sudden  fright.  It  was  that  poor 
M.  de  Narbonne  himself!  Alarmed  at  the  effect  he  was 
producing,  he  maintained  his  humble  posture  motionless.  I 
thought  for  an  instant  he  had  gone  mad,  and  I  looked  at 
him  with  mingled  pity  and  fear. 

He  had  changed  his  costume.  I  had  never  seen  him  in 
such  studied  attire ;  to  complete  the  extraordinary  masquer- 
ade, which  transformed  an  ancient  sexagenarian  into  a 
dandy  of  the  day,  he  had  put  on  rouge! 

Inextinguishable  laughter  succeeded  the  fright  I  had  un- 
dergone when  my  old  Celadon  tried  to  impart  his  flame  in 
words.  My  maid,  whom  I  continued  to  ring  for,  at  last 
came  in,  and  the  poor  hero  of  this  absurd  adventure,  rising 
with  some  difficulty,  escaped  in  dire  confusion.  . 

Henceforth  we  could  not  have  travelled  together  without 
feeling  mortal  embarrassment.  I  therefore  sent  for  my 
travelling  steward,  and  told  him  I  had  decided  to  leave  at 
daybreak.  I  ordered  him  to  pay  liberally,  and  to  keep  my 
plan  silent.  All  were  still  asleep  in  the  hotel  while,  seated 
in  my  coach,  I  was  starting  out  directly  for  Strassburg, 
where  I  wanted  to  see  the  cathedral  and  the  tomb  of  the 
Marshal  de  Saxe.  This  journey,  interesting  in  itself,  was 
chiefly  so  to  me  because  of  the  circumstances;  moreover,  I 
was  leaving  Poland  for  the  first  time ;  until  then  my  travels 
had  not  gone  beyond  the  town  of  Vienna,  where  I  used  to 
visit  my  mother. 


CHAPTER  III 
CEREMONIAL  ENTRY  INTO  PARIS 

THE     COUNTESS     TYSZKIEWICZ — DISENCHANTMENT — PARI- 
SIAN      PLEASANTRIES THE       PROCESSION PICTURE      OF 

MARIE-LOUISE THE  IMPERIAL  GUARD THE  PAGES THE 

SPIRIT   OF   THE    CROWD PRESENTATION    TO    MADAME   DE 

SOUZA. 

MY  aunt  had  had  an  apartment  engaged  for  me  at  Paris,  in 
the  Place  Louis  XV.,  in  the  handsome  building  known  as 
the  Garde-Meuble.  There  was  then  a  furnished  house 
there,  to  which  I  immediately  repaired. 

Countess  Tyszkiewicz  came  to  see  me  the  day  after  my 
arrival.  Much  interested  in  current  events,  she  wanted  to 
know  the  talk  of  Vienna. 

Said  she,  after  her  curiosity  was  satisfied : 

"Napoleon  is  himself  surprised  at  the  greatness  of  his 
destiny." 

My  aunt  did  not  like  the  emperor,  but  she  feared  him, 
and  she  gave  vent  to  her  disrespectful  astonishment  in  a 
low  tone  of  voice. 

"Imagine  the  luck  of  that  man !  It  seems  to  be  a  matter 
of  fact  that  no  one  can  resist  him,"  she  said.  "After  up- 
setting the  world,  vanquishing  Austria,  and  blowing  up  the 
ramparts  of  the  capital,  the  unhappy  king  whom  he  has  thus 
humiliated  gives  him  his  daughter,  while  suing  for  peace!" 

122 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  123 

My  aunt,  who  was  secretly  attached  to  the  Faubourg 
Saint-Germain,  where  M.  de  Talleyrand  had  introduced  her, 
pretended  to  know  everything  that  transpired  at  the  Tuile- 
ries,  through  the  connections  M.  de  Talleyrand  had  there. 
She  assured  me  that  the  emperor  had  at  first  been  dazzled 
by  the  brilliancy  of  such  a  match,  but  that  the  extraordinary 
conduct  of  Marie-Louise  had  quickly  dispelled  the  charm, 
and  in  two  days  Napoleon's  exquisite  politeness  had  given 
way  to  the  rather  too  imperative  manners  of  the  great  man, 
justified  on  this  occasion,  however,  by  the  example  of  Henry 
IV.  He  went  to  meet  his  young  bride,  and  established 
himself  at  Compiegne,  where,  by  a  facility  entirely  mis- 
placed towards  one  who  expected  to  inspire  a  sort  of  aver- 
sion, this  princess  disillusioned  the  hero,  and  disenchanted 
all  of  those  who  had  been  pleased  to  look  upon  her  as  a 
victim  sacrificed  to  the  repose  of  Europe.  The  Compiegne 
reception  gave  the  Parisians  food  for  discussion  for  at  least 
a  week.  The  Asiatic  luxury  which  the  emperor  had  dis- 
played in  the  interior  arrangements  of  the  palace  was  un- 
sparingly criticised. 

The  dressing-room  had  been  draped  with  the  most  beau- 
tiful Indian  shawls.  It  was  maliciously  asserted  that  Jose- 
phine's formed  the  richest  ornaments,  though  it  was  after- 
wards proved  that  Napoleon  never  touched  the  gifts  he  had 
lavished  upon  his  first  wife. 

After  minutely  surveying  all  the  details  of  this  reception, 
probable  results  were  rumoured  about,  in  a  whisper.  In 
less  than  two  hours  Paris  knew  how  the  young  sovereign 
was  to  be  taken,  and  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  free- 
dom of  the  comments  which  circulated  in  the  saloons. 
Neither  bad  jokes  nor  puns  were  excluded.  As  we  were 
entering  Holy  Week,  the  remark  was  ventured  that  the 
future  empress  wished  to  make  her  entrance  as  a  saint,  and 
this  feeble  pun  met  with  tremendous  favour,  for  the  French, 


124  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

extremely  particular  about  native  wit,  are  not  enough  so 
when  it  is  made  to  order. 

The  promise  of  the  wedding  solemnities,  and  the  festivi- 
ties to  follow,  sent  people's  thoughts  into  another  channel. 

I  had  to  choose  between  two  equally  interesting  sights: 
either  to  witness  the  grand  entry  of  the  august  pair  among 
the  immense  crowds  who  were  to  await  them  in  the  Champs- 
filysees,  or  shut  myself  up  early  in  the  morning,  in  full 
dress,  in  the  Tuileries  chapel,  whither  my  aunt  would  take 
me.  I  decided  in  favour  of  the  entry,  the  more  strongly  as, 
not  having  yet  been  able  to  be  presented,  it  seemed  to  me 
improper  to  intrigue  for  a  ticket  and  usurp  a  place. 

I  saw  the  royal  procession  from  my  window.  The  em- 
peror, in  Spanish  dress — the  same  he  had  worn  at  the  coro- 
nation— was  in  a  gilded  glass  carriage,  harnessed  with  eight 
Andalusian  horses  of  rare  beauty.  Their  dun  coats  per- 
fectly matched  the  green  of  the  gorgeous  harness  stitched 
with  gold  and  silver.  They  went  at  a  walk,  and  seemed 
quite  proud  of  the  part  allotted  them. 

Marie-Louise,  covered  with  the  diamonds  of  Golconda, 
seated  at  the  emperor's  right,  did  not  appear  to  absorb  his 
entire  attention.  He  seemed  anxious,  and  observant  of  the 
effect  which  the  imposing  spectacle  made  on  the  populace, 
listening  absent-mindedly  to  the  few  words  addressed  to 
him  by  his  young  wife,  whose  Austrian  bows  would  have 
ruined  a  prettier  face  than  hers.  The  French,  spoiled  by 
the  beauty  of  Josephine,  and  not  well  pleased  with  this 
match,  remained  cool  and  impassive.  There  was  no  enthu- 
siasm, and  not  much  in  the  way  of  acclaim. 

To  tell  the  number  of  generals  and  marshals  who  pre- 
ceded and  followed  the  imperial  carriage,  in  full  uniform 
and  on  horseback,  would  be  tedious  work,  and  nearly  as 
difficult  as  to  name  the  kings  and  queens  gathered  together 
to  take  part  in  this  magnificent  affair.  Their  resplendent 


'vJ      ^ 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  125 

carriages,  their  numerous  trains,  the  richness  and  variety 
of  the  dresses,  the  beauty  of  the  women,  the  glitter  of  the 
diamonds — it  was  all  wonderful.  But  nothing,  to  my 
mind,  could  equal  the  splendid  line  composed  by  the  Im- 
perial Guard,  grown  old  under  arms,  and  distinguished  on 
many  battlefields,  where,  led  on  by  the  miraculous  gray 
cloak,  they  had  many  a  time  settled  the  question  of  victory. 
They  alone  frantically  hailed  their  chief,  whom  they  saw 
in  all  the  grandeur  of  majesty. 

Round  the  imperial  coach,  pages  "scarcely  emerged  from 
childhood,"  richly  clad  and  standing  on  steps  symmetrically 
placed,  like  butterflies  ready  to  fly  away  at  the  least  sign, 
gave  a  poetical  touch  to  the  cumbersome  vehicle.  When 
the  gate  of  the  Tuileries  garden,  which  was  only  opened 
once  a  year — when  the  emperor  went  to  the  legislature — 
was  closed  on  the  royal  party,  who  among  us  would  have 
thought  it  was  never  to  open  again  in  triumph?  Alas! 
The  happy  days  were  gone  by !  The  rumbling  of  the  storm 
was  to  begin. 

The  illuminations  and  fireworks  continued  far  into  the 
night.  Wine  spurted  from  the  fountains,  gold  and  medals 
were  distributed  in  profusion — it  was  all  gorgeous  and  mag- 
nificent, but  there  was  neither  joy  nor  heartfelt  mirth. 

Some — and  they  were  the  majority — regretted  Josephine, 
whose  rare  kindness  and  gracious  manner  had  endeared  her 
to  the  nation;  others  regarded  the  arrival  of  an  Austrian 
princess  as  a  presage  of  ill  fortune.  Nearly  all,  tired  of 
war,  of  triumphs,  and  conquests,  had  got  into  the  state  of 
being  dissatisfied  with  everything;  having  nothing  left  to 
wish  for,  they  gave  rein  to  the  discontent  that  the  incessantly 
renewed  conscriptions  nourished  in  the  bosoms  of  their 
families.  Nor  did  the  crowd  appear  to  partake  in  this  splen- 
did celebration,  excepting  through  a  mechanical  curiosity. 

Whoever  have  written  their  memoirs  must  have   felt 


126  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

some  sort  of  embarrassment  in  speaking  of  themselves. 
And  so  I  have  not  yet  mentioned  my  interview  with  M.  de 

F .  After  several  fruitless  attempts  upon  the  porter, 

he  finally  forced  his  way,  and  suddenly  appeared  at  my 
door.  He  had  met  the  Duke  de  Dalberg  on  the  staircase,  who 
had  been  to  see  m€,  and  thought  he  had  the  right  to  resist 
any  further  refusals. 

I  admit  that  his  appearance  troubled  me.  We  talked 
of  everything  I  should  have  to  see  and  do.  He  offered  me 
his  services  and  his  advice,  and  told  me  that  his  mother 
wished  to  make  my  acquaintance;  she  wanted  to  thank  me 
for  the  consideration  my  parents  had  shown  her  son  during 
the  visit  of  the  French  to  Warsaw. 

He  proposed  to  pay  me  a  visit  with  her  the  next  morn- 
ing. I  accepted  the  more  eagerly  as  I  was  very  curious  to 
meet  a  person  whose  delightful  novels  and  letters  had 
charmed  me. 

It  was  quite  natural  that  I  should  do  my  utmost  to  be 
agreeable  to  her,  but  I  quickly  perceived  the  uselessness  of 
my  exertions.  Madame  de  Souza  was  concerned  with  her- 
self exclusively;  she  trimmed  every  one  of  her  sentences, 
and  interjected  into  the  conversation  happy  and  sparkling 
sayings  which  seemed  prepared.  In  her  mode  of  expres- 
sion there  was  neither  charm  nor  warmth;  it  was  better  to 
read  her  works  than  to  listen  to  her  conversation.  I  was 
furthermore  shocked  by  a  kind  of  intimacy  she  tried  to 
establish,  from  the  first  day,  between  us  three.  She  had 
fatuity  in  her  son!  Pride,  one  might  have  pardoned  her. 
But  the  presumption  with  which  she  seemed  to  predict  his 
conquests  were  not  in  good  taste;  himself  appeared  to  be 
embarrassed  by  it,  and  made  vain  efforts  to  make  his  mother 
return  to  a  more  serious  and  proper  tone.  I  took  umbrage 
at  such  thinly  disguised  impudence,  and  was  polite  but  cold ; 
we  separated  none  too  well  pleased  with  each  other. 


MARQUISE  DE  SOUZA-BOTELHO,  THE  NOVELIST 
(Afterwards  Comtesse  de  Flahaut,  and  mother  of  "Charles  de  F- 
of  the  present  "Memoirs"). 

From  an  engraving  by  Massard  after  Siaal. 


CHAPTER  IV 
THE  COURT 

THE   EMPEROR — MARIE-LOUISE — COURT    PARADOXES ELISA 

PAULINE     BORGHESE THE     QUEEN     OF     NAPLES THE 

PRINCESS     DE     TALLEYRAND COUNTESS     TYSZKIEWICZ's 

CIRCLE. 

As  soon  as  the  empress  was  installed  at  the  Tuileries  the 
presentations  were  proceeded  with.  As  a  foreigner,  I  was 
to  be  presented  not  only  to  the  emperor  and  empress,  but 
also  to  all  the  queens  and  princesses  of  the  family.  Each 
had  her  day,  and  so  every  morning  it  was  a  case  of  a  long 
and  fatiguing  toilet,  and  of  spending  the  best  hours  of  the 
day  in  putting  on  and  taking  off  a  court  dress.  In  the  even- 
ing came  rest — at  the  theatre. 

The  emperor  received  about  noon,  in  his  study.  Stand- 
ing with  one  hand  leaning  on  his  desk,  he  waited,  bestowing 
a  gracious  glance  on  you  if  you  were  young  and  pretty. 

He  received  me  with  unusual  civility,  which  considerably 
diminished  the  awkwardness  of  the  ceremony.  He  was 
good  enough  to  ask  news  of  everybody  in  my  family. 

Leaving  the  emperor's  study,  we  passed  into  the  em- 
press' waiting-room,  where  a  number  of  people  were  al- 
ready assembled.  She  was  quitting  her  apartments,  fol- 
lowed by  a  numerous  and  dazzling  train.  The  taste  with 
which  she  was  dressed  had  made  her  a  little  less  ugly,  but 
the  expression  of  her  face  remained  the  same.  Not  an 

127 


128  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

affable  smile,  not  an  inquiring  look  lit  up  that  wooden  face. 
She  went  round  the  circle  of  her  visitors,  moving  from  one 
to  the  other  like  those  machine  dolls  that  go  when  they  are 
wound  up,  showing  off  their  stiff,  slender  figures,  and  their 
large,  pale-blue,  porcelain  eyes,  staring  and  fixed. 

The  emperor  walked  at  her  side,  prompting  her  in  what 
she  had  to  say,  chiefly  to  the  people  whom  he  wished  to 
favour.  When  my  turn  came,  the  lady  who  was  presenting 
me  having  given  the  young  sovereign  my  name,  I  distinctly 
overheard  the  words,  very  graceful,  muttered  by  Napoleon. 
She  repeated  them  so  drily,  and  with  such  a  Teutonic  ac- 
cent, that  they  charmed  me  very  slightly. 

This  court,  so  magnificent  from  a  distance,  lost  by  being 
seen  at  close  quarters.  A  sort  of  confusion  and  discord 
were  observable  there  which  counteracted  the  air  of  great- 
ness and  dignity  one  had  a  right  to  expect.  The  wives  of 
the  marshals,  little  accustomed  to  the  court  mantle,  were 
placed  by  the  side  of  the  most  elegant  and  best  dressed 
women.  It  was  almost  the  same  thing  with  their  husbands, 
whose  embroidered  uniforms,  so  resplendent  on  parade,  so 
fine  on  the  field  of  battle,  contrasted  unpleasantly  with  rather 
uncultured  language  and  manners.  It  was  like  a  rehearsal, 
at  which  the  actors  were  trying  on  their  dresses  and  repeat- 
ing their  parts.  This  extraordinary  mixture  would  have 
evoked  laughter  if  the  principal  character  had  not  inspired 
a  sort  of  respect  and  fear,  which  made  the  idea  of  absurdity 
vanish,  or  at  least  annulled  it. 

Napoleon's  sisters  did  not  resemble  each  other  in  the  least. 

Elisa,  Grand  Duchess  of  Tuscany,  added  to  her  brother's 
features  an  infinitely  harder  expression.  A  great  deal  of 
mind  and  character  was  attributed  to  her;  nevertheless,  I 
have  never  heard  anything  quoted  that  she  did  or  said. 
The  great  are  always  surrounded  by  echoes  ready  to  repeat 
any  able  thing  they  may  utter.  Silence  is  a  kind  of  denial. 
So  I  was  not  much  impressed. 


THK  TUILERIES. 

From  an  engraving  of  [SlS  by  Couchefils. 


THE  PALACE  OF  THE  TUILERIES. 

From  an  engraving  by  Floyd  after  Allom. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  129 

Princess  Pauline  Borghese  was  a  type  of  classical  beauty 
to  be  found  in  Greek  statues.  Despite  the  things  she  did 
which  hastened  the  ravages  of  time,  in  the  evening,  by  the 
aid  of  a  little  artifice,  she  captured  all  suffrages,  and  not  a 
woman  would  have  dared  to  dispute  her  the  apple  which 
Canova  awarded  her  after  unveiled  contemplation,  as  it  was 
said. 

To  the  most  delicate  and  regular  features  imaginable 
she  added  an  admirable  figure  too  often  admired.  Thanks 
to  so  many  graces,  her  wit  passed  unnoticed;  nothing  but 
her  gallantries  were  spoken  of,  and  certainly  they  gave 
plenty  of  matter  for  discussion. 

The  youngest  of  the  three,  Caroline,  Queen  of  Naples, 
did  not  approach  her  sister  in  classic  beauty;  but  she  had 
a  much  more  mobile  countenance,  a  dazzling  fair  com- 
plexion, irreproachable  arms,  hands,  and  waist,  and,  with- 
out being  tall,  carried  herself  like  a  queen.  You  would 
have  said  that  she  had  come  into  the  world  all  prepared  for 
the  part  which  fate  had  in  store  for  her.  As  to  her  intel- 
lect, it  is  sufficient  to  quote  Talleyrand's  saying,  who  as- 
serted that  this  head  of  a  pretty  woman  rested  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  a  statesman. 

No  one  was  surprised  at  the  emperor's  choosing  her  to  go 
to  meet  his  betrothed.  Still,  the  enormous  difference  exist- 
ing between  Marie-Louise  and  Caroline  prevented  their 
ever  understanding  or  liking  each  other. 

Hortense,  Queen  of  Holland,  was  away,  as  well  as  her 
sister-in-law,  the  wife  of  the  Vv  ~oy  of  Italy;  they  had  left 
a  few  days  after  my  arrival.  I  could,  therefore,  rest. 

My  aunt  took  the  opportunity  to  take  me  to  M.  de  Tal- 
leyrand's, whose  slave  she  had  been  for  a  quarter  century. 
Delayed  at  the  court  by  the  exercise  of  his  duties,  Talley- 
rand was  not  able  to  return  in  time  to  receive  us,  and  sent 
his  excuses.  It  was  a  simple  matter;  nobody  thought  of 
making  a  formality  of  it. 


130 


MEMOIRS  OF  THE 


What  appeared  stranger  to  us  was  that,  entering  the 
drawing-room,  we  only  found  a  maid-of -honour  of  the 
princess  to  receive  us.  We  were  informed  that,  seduced 
by  a  ray  of  sunlight,  Her  Highness  had  just  gone  out  to 
take  a  turn  in  the  Bois.  Guests  arrived  in  succession,  and, 
as  the  person  charged  with  doing  the  honours  in  the  ab- 
sence of  the  mistress  of  the  house  had  predicted,  we  waited 
more  than  an  hour.  Excuses  would  have  been  quite  in 
order,  but,  fearing  derogation  if  she  evinced  politeness,  the 
princess  swept  in  with  a  majestic  air,  talked  to  us  about 
the  fine  weather  and  about  the  balmy  atmosphere,  finding 
it  most  natural  that  we  should  have  waited  for  her. 

After  that  I  avoided  the  company  of  Madame  de  Talley- 
rand, impertinent  princesses  not  being  to  my  taste,  espe- 
cially when  they  are  upstarts.  She,  known  all  over  Paris 
as  Madame  Grand,  was  such  a  nonentity  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  conceal  it;  not  even  her  rank  could  do  it.  Her 
blunders  were  quoted,  just  like  her  husband's  witty  sayings. 

At  this  time  she  was  at  least  sixty.  Nevertheless,  her 
position  secured  her  flatterers,  who  told  her  she  was  still 
beautiful.  She  also  indulged  in  extensive  hair-dressing, 
and  wore  flowers  on  her  head. 

When  M.  de  Talleyrand  sat  down  to  his  game  of  whist, 
or  was  absent,  a  deadly  tedium  reigned  in  those  rooms. 
And  yet  the  greater  number  of  the  regular  frequenters  of 
the  house  were  clever  people.  The  princess  laid  claims  to 
greatness,  and  to  authority  on  questions  of  etiquette,  which 
made  her  unendurable.  All  who  could  boast  independence, 
and  had  no  official  relations  with  the  prince,  only  went  to 
his  place  when  they  were  sure  of  finding  him  alone. 

Once  a  week,  or  thereabouts,  M.  de  Talleyrand's  friends 
met  at  my  aunt's,  where  I  was  scarcely  any  better  enter- 
tained. She  invited  distinguished  compatriots  and  passing 
strangers  in  turn.  Her  house  was  much  in  vogue. 


HORTENSE,  QUEEX  OF  HOLLAND. 

From  an  engraving  by  Regnault  of  the  portrait  by  herself. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  131 

I  can  hardly  tell  the  unpleasant  surprise  I  felt  at  seeing 
that  the  sole  amusement  was  to  gamble  for  fabulous  sums. 
The  bank  was  kept  by  men  whom  nobody  knew  nor  spoke 
to;  they  spread  out  their  wealth,  so  as  to  tempt  the  specta- 
tors. The  guests  seemed  to  shrink  from  their  touch;  they 
were  treated  like  pariahs.  Their  suspicious  glances  trav- 
elled from  one  to  another,  without  for  a  moment  losing  sight 
of  the  gamblers'  hands.  In  all  this  there  was  something 
humiliating  and  devilish.  The  love  of  gain  alone  presided 
at  this  strange  pastime.  The  drawn  faces  of  the  gamblers, 
the  stolid,  impassive  attitude  of  the  bankers,  the  silence  that 
reigned  in  the  cardroom — where  in  one  night  the  whole 
happiness  of  a  family  was  often  staked — it  was  all  odious 
to  me.  I  could  not  withhold  an  exhibition  of  astonishment, 
perhaps  even  of  my  artless  innocence,  but  my  aunt  replied 
coldly  that  it  was  easily  seen  /  came  from  a  distance,  that 
such  diversions  were  indulged  in  everywhere,  and  that  the 
prince,  a  hard  worker,  came  to  her  house  for  distractions 
which  his  position  forbade  him  at  home. 

It  was  at  this  infernal  table  that  for  the  first  time  I  met 
the  Duchess  de  Luynes,  built  like  a  policeman  and  dressed 
like  the  commonest  woman;  she  played  furiously,  had  a 
stentorian  voice,  laughed  boisterously,  argued  with  choice 
coarseness — the  whole  passing  for  originality.  It  was  even 
the  fashion  to  admire  the  nobility  and  staunchness  of  her 
character,  and  the  constancy  of  her  opinions.  As  for  me, 
I  never  could  habituate  myself  to  that  masculine  exterior 
and  those  guard-house  manners. 

Ah,  my  dear  Hotel  de  Ligne,  how  often  I  remembered  it ! 
Floods  of  light  did  not  illuminate  that  modest  little  saloon ; 
the  frugal  supper  in  no  way  resembled  the  banquets  pre- 
sented to  these  sybarites !  But  what  a  variety  of  cleverness 
and  wit,  what  charming  and  open  hilarity!  How  prefer- 
able was  that  anchorite's  fare  to  these  sad  feasts ! 


CHAPTER   V 
THE  FESTIVITIES 

THE    PRINCESS    BORGHESE    AT     NEUILLY — THE    CASTLE    OF 

SCHOENBRUNN — MARIE-LOUISE'S      EMOTION THE      BALL 

AT  THE  AUSTRIAN  EMBASSY. 

THE  Princess  Pauline  was  the  first  to  entertain  the  illus- 
trious pair.  It  was  in  the  month  of  May.  Neuilly,  where 
she  lived,  seemed  to  have  put  on  a  crown  of  flowers  to 
receive  the  brilliant  throng,  which  flocked  from  all  parts  of 
the  earth  to  witness  all  these  wonders. 

At  the  park  gate  the  carriages  were  ordered  to  stop  at 
a  theatre  improvised  by  fairies.  Light,  transparent  gal- 
leries, grass  stairs  adorned  with  exotic  plants,  boxes  deco- 
rated with  garlands  of  flowers  and  filled  with  pretty  women, 
a  starred  canopy — this  whole  poetical  and  surprising  scene 
recalled  the  gardens  of  Armida.  The  young  empress,  who 
generally  admired  nothing,  could  not  suppress  a  slight  ex- 
clamation on  setting  foot  in  this  hall  where  she  was  ex- 
pected. 

The  emperor,  with  more  grace  and  cordiality,  evinced 
astonishment  and  satisfaction;  he  thanked  his  sister  deli- 
cately. 

The  best  actors  of  the  Theatre  Frangais  acted  a  piece  to 
which  no  one  listened ;  the  most  renowned  dancers  executed 

132 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  133 

a  ballet  which  no  one  looked  at !  Golden  harps,  melodious 
chants,  celestial  music,  would  have  been  needed  there! 

The  play  ended,  Pauline  took  her  sister's  arm,  and  the 
royal  procession,  which  we  followed,  made  towards  the  ball- 
room across  the  park,  lit  up  by  means  of  thousands  of  lamps 
concealed  under  the  hedges  of  flowers  whose  perfume  em- 
balmed the  air. 

Several  orchestras,  distributed  with  infinite  cunning,  suc- 
cessively answered  each  other  in  imitation  of  mountain 
echoes;  these  newly  devised  harmonies  produced  a  ravish- 
ing effect. 

We  thus  passed  from  marvel  to  marvel.  Now  it  was  a 
pretty  temple,  where  love  was  awakened,  caught  by  the 
graces;  now  a  hermitage  of  stern  aspect;  pilgrims  return- 
ing from  Palestine  were  begging  hospitality;  the  hermit 
opened  the  little  grated  door  of  his  rustic  chapel,  and  the 
singing  began.  All  talents  were  summoned  to  this  festal 
event.  The  graces  came  from  the  opera  and  the  pilgrims 
from  the  conservatory. 

The  singing  and  dancing  had  no  other  purpose  than  to 
eulogise  the  perfections  of  the  young  empress,  and  in  every 
way  to  celebrate  the  gladness  her  coming  had  aroused. 
Love  proffered  her  a  crown  of  roses  pilfered  from  the 
graces,  and  the  troubadours  sang  romances  full  of  praise 
and  hope. 

Insensibly  the  pathway  contracts,  the  grove  darkens, 
the  harmonious  sounds  fade  away,  and  the  fairy  who  has 
created  all  these  spells  affects  great  displeasure;  she  pre- 
tends to  have  lost  her  way,  and  takes  us  along  barren  walks. 

We  cross  a  hanging  bridge,  under  which  the  water  forms 
a  cascade  so  skilfully  lighted  that  it  seems  on  fire. 

In  the  midst  of  the  silence  the  emperor's  voice  is  heard; 
he  complains  of  the  darkness,  and  has  the  manner  of  really 
believing  that  his  sister  has  mistaken  the  road,  when  of  a 


134  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

sudden,  at  the  turn  of  a  maze,  we  merge  abruptly  upon  a 
lawn  flooded  with  a  light  so  bright  that  you  would  have 
said  it  was  stolen  from  the  sun. 

At  the  end  of  the  lawn  stood  the  Castle  of  Schoenbrunn, 
with  its  great  court,  its  fountains,  its  portals,  and,  in  addi- 
tion, with  movement  and  life  such  as  are  foreign  to  that 
gorgeous  habitation.  There  were  the  components  of  fes- 
tivity: carriages,  bands  of  promenaders,  bashful  dairy- 
maids with  the  traditional  cap,  farm  hands  impressed  from 
among  the  imperial  footmen,  groups  of  Tyroleans  coming 
forward  to  the  tune  of  bagpipes  and  dancing  the  national 
waltz.  The  art  with  which  at  this  distance  the  proportions 
of  the  huge  castle  had  been  reproduced,  the  scientific  man- 
agement of  light  and  shade  effects,  everything  deceived  the 
eye  so  perfectly  that  it  was  allowable  to  believe  in  magic; 
and  those  who,  like  myself,  knew  Schoenbrunn  could  im- 
agine themselves  in  that  royal  dwelling. 

The  courtiers  asserted  that  at  this  sight  the  empress  had 
burst  into  tears!  That  would  have  been  most  natural.  The 
memories  of  her  childhood  ought  to  have  drawn  some  tears 
from  her,  but  I  can  testify  that  her  emotion,  if  she  had  any, 
was  very  evanescent,  for  at  the  moment  I  looked  at  her  I 
perceived  no  trace  of  feeling  in  her  cold  and  stolid  counte- 
nance. As  for  the  emperor,  he  thanked  his  sister  repeatedly, 
and  gave  her  infinite  credit  for  the  pains  she  had  bestowed 
on  the  arrangements  for  this  celebration,  the  first  and  finest 
of  all  that  were  held  in  honour  of  Marie-Louise. 

The  Prince  de  Schwartzemberg,  the  Austrian  ambassa- 
dor, had  consented  to  yield  in  that  respect  only  to  the  new 
empress'  sister-in-law.  The  ball  he  gave  followed  the  Neuilly 
festivity,  and  owed  its  celebrity  to  the  dreadful  catastrophe 
which  made  it  historical.  The  space  at  the  embassy  was 
not  large  enough  to  accommodate  the  two  thousand  people 
invited ;  in  the  middle  of  the  garden  an  enormous  ballroom 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  135 

had  been  built,  communicating  with  the  apartments  by  a 
handsome  gallery.  This  room  and  this  gallery,  made  of 
boards,  were  covered  with  striped  canvas,  and  inside  hung 
with  pink  satin  and  silver  gauze  draperies.  I  happened  to 
be  in  the  gallery  when  the  conflagration  declared  itself,  and 
I  perhaps  owed  my  salvation  to  an  incident  which  had  an- 
noyed me  very  much. 

I  was  wearing  an  open  tulle  dress,  and  where  it  met  a 
bunch  of  white  lilac  was  fastened  to  my  girdle  by  a  diamond 
chain  composed  of  lyres  hooked  one  into  another;  when  I 
danced  this  chain  came  undone.  The  Countess  de  Brignole, 
who  was  my  chaperon  that  evening,  observing  that  I  was 
about  to  waltz  with  the  viceroy,  was  good  enough  to  take 
me  into  the  gallery  to  assist  me  in  removing  the  importunate 
chain.  While  she  was  kindly  attending  to  this  task,  I  was 
one  of  the  first  to  notice  the  slight  smoke  from  a  candela- 
brum placed  under  a  gauze  festoon.  Several  young  men 
having  gathered  about  us,  I  hastened  to  show  them  what 
was  as  yet  but  a  warning.  At  once  one  of  them  jumped 
upon  a  bench ;  wishing  to  avert  the  danger,  he  violently  tore 
down  the  draping,  which  in  its  rapid  descent  over  the  can- 
dlesticks took  fire  and  spread  the  flame  to  the  striped  canvas 
ceiling.  Very  fortunately  for  myself,  Madame  de  Brig- 
nole did  not  face  the  danger,  but,  without  a  moment's  de- 
lay, seized  my  arm,  went  through  all  the  rooms  at  a  run, 
rushed  to  the  bottom  of  the  staircase,  and  did  not  draw 
breath  until  she  had  crossed  the  street  and  had  taken  refuge 
in  Madame  de  Regnault's  house,  opposite  the  embassy. 
Falling  on  a  sofa  there,  exhausted  by  the  race  and  her  agi- 
tation, she  pointed  me  to  the  balcony-,  so  that  I  might  take 
account  of  what  was  ensuing.  This  sudden  alarm  was  in- 
comprehensible to  me,  for  I  should  have  preferred  to  con- 
tinue to  dance,  so  impossible  did  a  menace  of  danger  seem 
in  a  place  where  the  emperor  was ! 


136  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Soon  clouds  of  smoke  enveloped  the  ballroom  and  gal- 
lery we  had  just  left.  The  music  was  heard  no  longer; 
noisy  confusion  had  incontinently  succeeded  the  gaiety  and 
splendour  of  the  party.  Screams,  groans  reached  us;  the 
wind  carried  distinct  words,  despairing  accents;  people 
called  each  other,  sought  each  other,  wanted  certainty  of  the 
fate  of  those  they  loved,  and  who  were  incurring  this  awful 
peril. 

Among  the  victims  was  the  Princess  de  Schwartzemberg, 
the  ambassador's  sister-in-law,  who,  missing  her  daughter 
from  her  side,  dashed  into  the  flames ; — she  was  crushed  by 
a  chandelier  whose  rope  had  given  way.  Alas!  her  child, 
safe  from  danger,  was  loudly  crying  out  for  her.  The 
Princess  de  la  Leyen  suffered  the  same  fate,  but  survived 
for  a  few  days.  Her  daughter  was  affianced  to  I  know 
not  what  German  prince;  she  had  the  strength  of  mind  to 
insist  upon  the  accomplishment  of  the  marriage  at  her  bed 
of  pain.  A  number  of  other  persons  perished.  It  was  the 
less  spoken  of  as  many  of  the  names  were  unknown  by  those 
who,  come  from  abroad  or  from  the  provinces,  thus  paid  for 
an  instant  of  pleasure  with  their  lives.  Some  of  the  women 
were  robbed  of  their  jewellery;  thieves  having  scaled  the 
wall  separating  the  garden  from  the  street,  they  drove  their 
trade  in  full  security  under  cover  of  the  general  confusion. 

In  a  few  minutes  Madame  Regnault's  saloon  was  filled 
with  sufferers.  It  was  a  spectacle  at  once  terrifying  and 
weird  to  see  all  those  people  in  floral  wreaths  and  ball 
dresses  wailing  in  a  manner  that  contrasted  so  cruelly  with 
their  finery. 

So  we  spent  a  great  portion  of  the  night  in  comforting 
and  relieving  them  as  much  as  lay  in  our  power.  When 
daylight  came  we  had  to  think  of  going  home.  Servants 
and  carriages  had  all  disappeared.  Those  who  could  walk 
found  themselves  reduced  to  going  on  foot  in  their  ball 


S.E\.3I. LK  PIUM  K   SC 


PRINCE  SCHWARZENBERG. 

f'rom  an  engraving  by  Ligiion  after  a  drawing  by  V'igncron. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  137 

dresses  and  white  satin  shoes.  At  that  early  hour  the 
streets  are  crowded  with  market  waggons;  we  were  prob- 
ably taken  for  lunatics,  and  we  were  subjected  to  the  broad- 
sides of  some  jokers. 

However  frivolous  the  Parisians  may  be,  this  accident 
created  a  lively  and  profound  impression.  It  gave  rise  to 
all  kinds  of  suggestions;  it  was  ascribed  to  the  machina- 
tions of  infamous  politicians.  What  is  certain  is  that 
zealous  courtiers  persuaded  the  emperor  to  retire  before  the 
crowd  had  blocked  all  the  issues,  so  attempting  to  sow  an 
odious  suspicion  in  his  mind ;  but,  always  composed  in  dan- 
ger, Napoleon  would  not  listen  to  these  contemptible  in- 
sinuations. He  went  back  to  the  embassy  after  putting  the 
empress  into  her  carriage,  telling  Prince  Schwartzemberg 
that  he  came  to  help  him  extinguish  the  fire. 

This  phrase  produced  a  great  effect,  penetrated  the  Aus- 
trians  with  admiration  and  gratitude.  All  the  Germans 
present  at  the  festivity,  headed  by  the  ambassador,  sur- 
rounded the  emperor,  and  this  rampart  of  more  or  less  hos- 
tile hearts  for  the  moment  equalled  a  detachment  of  the 
Imperial  Guard. 


CHAPTER  VI 

SOCIETY 

AT  DENON'S — THE  MUMMY'S  FOOT — THE  VISCOUNTESS  DE 
LAVAL'S  CIRCLE — PETRARCH  AND  LAURA — A  DINNER  AT 
M.  DE  TALLEYRAND'S — THE  DUKE  DE  LAVAL — THE  DA- 

VOUTS  AT  SAVIGNY THE  MARSHAL'S  PARTRIDGES M.  DE 

F T LUNCHEON  WITH   MADAME  DE  SOUZA LABE- 

DOYERE THE  DUCHESS  OF  COURLAND TALLEYRAND  AND 

HIS  SERAGLIO. 

MY  social  career  once  begun,  its  duties  took  up  all  my  time. 
I  barely  was  able  to  find  a  moment,  of  a  morning,  in  which 
to  visit  the  museums  and  studios.  I  had  met  M.  Denon. 
He  had  exquisite  taste,  delightful  good-humour,  and  was 
obliging  beyond  measure.  He  was  good  enough  to  escort 
me  to  the  Louvre,  which  at  that  time  was  enriched  by 
works  of  art  captured  from  Italy.  A  few  days  after,  the 
amiable  director  invited  me  to  luncheon  in  order  to  show 
me  his  little  private  museum — a  collection  of  valuable  arti- 
cles he  had  gathered  in  all  countries,  especially  in  Egypt. 
He  was  very  proud  of  a  little  mummy's  foot,  which  was  so 
attractive,  so  dainty,  and  so  nicely  oxidised  by  time  that 
there  was  a  temptation  to  steal  it,  to  make  a  paper-weight 
of  it. 

"Look,"  said  M.  Denon,  "at  this  wonderful  thing!     You 

138 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  139 

must  know  that  it  probably  comes  down,  by  a  direct  line 
of  descent,  from  the  Pharaohs." 

"Who  knows,"  said  I,  "perhaps  it  is  a  foot  of  one  of  the 
wives  of  Sesostris." 

"Let  it  be  Sesostris,  then,"  he  replied;  "but  at  that  rate, 
she  was  the  woman  he  loved  best,  and  mourned  all  his  life." 

My  aunt  had  presented  me  to  her  friends.  They  nearly 
all  lived  in  the  Faubourg  Saint-Germain,  which  is  to  say 
that  they  were  of  the  Opposition.  They  abused  everything, 
mourned  a  great  deal,  and  did  not  enjoy  themselves  at  all. 
I  only  enjoyed  myself  moderately  among  them.  The  only 
pleasant  house  my  aunt  took  me  to  was  the  Viscountess 
Laval's.  This  clever  woman  had  taken  the  cheerful  side 
of  things;  she  gloried,  so  to  speak,  in  poverty,  never  men- 
tioned her  losses,  and  did  not  seem  to  resent  others  having 
become  rich.  Their  fortunes  had  to  console  them  for  not 
being  Montmorencys — that  was  all! 

A  select  society  from  which  the  young  people  of  all 
parties  were  not  excluded,  to  enter  which  they  even  made 
plots,  often  met  in  the  viscountess'  small  drawing-room. 
To  be  seen  there  conferred  a  mark  of  urbanity  and  good 
taste.  The  household — I  mean  to  say  the  servants — con- 
sisted of  a  butler  and  a  negress,  who  was  something  be- 
tween a  slave  and  a  confidant.  She  came  in  to  make  the 
tea.  At  these  very  modest  entertainments  I  have  seen  all 
the"  most  distinguished  people  in  Paris  assembled.  M.  de 
Talleyrand  and  the  Duchess  of  Courland  were  among  the 
most  assiduous  of  the  regular  visitors.  Madame  de  Talley- 
rand never  came :  she  did  herself  justice.  It  was  only  there 
that  I  heard  people  talk  freely;  politics  and  the  partisan 
spirit  were  tabooed.  Madame  de  Laval  indicated  the  theme 
of  conversation  with  infinite  skill.  As  soon  as  she  saw  the 
actors  had  taken  up  their  parts  she  was  silent,  and  appeared 
absorbed  with  her  skein  of  coarse  wool,  unless  a  particularly 


140  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

interesting  question  aroused  her.  Then  the  others,  in  their 
turn,  became  silent;  she  spoke  with  such  an  original  and 
fascinating  charm  that  every  one  fell  under  her  spell.  She 
had  been  extremely  pretty,  and  her  black,  intelligent  eyes 
were  still  surprisingly  lustrous.  I  have  heard  a  story  as 
to  how  her  old  brother-in-law,  the  Duke  de  Laval,  so  famous 
for  his  innocent  remarks,  one  day  wishing  to  express  the 
admiration  he  felt  for  that  velvety  glance,  exclaimed: 

"It  must  be  acknowledged,  sister,  that  your  eyes  are  the 
colour  of  velvet  breeches." 

I  knew  this  poor  duke  in  deep  humiliation.  His  blunders 
made  me  die  of  laughter;  I  even  conceived  the  notion  of 
making  a  collection  of  them,  for  they  were  really  remark- 
able; unhappily — or  very  happily — one  forgets  nonsense 
quickly. 

I  shall  tell  the  following  anecdote,  however : 

It  was  at  a  dinner  at  M.  de  Talleyrand's.  We  were  at 
table ;  the  long  awaited  Duke  de  Laval  finally  arrived.  The 
master  of  the  house,  much  politer  than  his  wife,  lost  himself 
in  apologies.  The  duke  at  this  time  indulged  in  the  mania 
of  buying  old  portraits;  he  ingenuously  confessed  that  a 
sale  of  pictures  had  retarded  him. 

"I  wager,"  said  M.  de  Talleyrand,  "that  you  have  been 
acquiring  some  old  daub  again." 

"Oh,  well,  so  I  have !"  replied  the  duke  with  importance. 
"It  is  one  of  the  daubs  you  would  be  glad  enough  to  take 
to  adorn  your  library — the  portraits  of  two  celebrated  char- 
acters." 

"Bah!"  said  M.  de  Talleyrand,  with  his  disdainful  lip, 
"and  who  are  these  characters?" 

"Wait  a  little,"  answered  the  poor  dilettante,  visibly  em- 
barrassed and  eating  his  soup,  to  give  himself  time  for  re- 
flection. "The  woman's  name  is  the  same  as  Madame  de 
Regnault's:  she  is  a  certain  Laura.  As  to  the  gentleman, 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  141 

I  always  forget  his  name;  it  is  something  like  patraque!" 
(French  for  rubbishy  or  trumpery  old  thing). 

Every  one  was  silent ;  it  was  one  of  those  perfidious  pauses 
which  always  precede  outbursts  of  mad  laughter. 

And  here  is  the  host  apostrophising  the  poor  duke  on  his 
slender  memory,  without  the  least  regard  for  his  guests,  at 
whom  he  casts  quiet  but  malicious  glances. 

"Then  learn  the  names  of  your  heroes  once  for  all,  my 
dear  friend;  you  of  course  wanted  to  say  Laura  and  Plu- 
tarch" 

"Yes,  that  is  it ! — That  devil  of  a  Plutarch,  I  am  always 
forgetting  him.  There  were  some  at  the  sale  who  said 
Petrarch,  it  seems  to  me,  but  they  were  ignoramuses  who 
knew  the  real  name  of  Laura's  lover  no  better  than  I  did. 
Plutarch!  Everybody  knows  that!  I  knew  it  too — it's 
historical !" 

This  was  too  much ;  the  long  restrained  shouts  of  laugh- 
ter were  Homeric.  M.  de  Talleyrand  alone  held  aloof 
from  our  hilarity,  and,  throwing  a  sly  look  at  the  whole 
company,  had  the  audacity  to  question  the  duke  as  to  this 
mirth,  whose  reason  he  pretended  not  to  guess. 

Madame  de  Souza,  whose  son  was  unwell,  suddenly  left 
us,  glad  to  have  something  to  amuse  her  patient  with.  For 

some  days,  indeed,  I  had  not  seen  M.  de  F ,  but  every 

morning  a  bunch  of  violets  was  handed  me,  accompanied 
by  my  programme  for  the  day.  Now  there  was  something 
curious  to  see,  or  again  a  compulsory  visit  which  must  not 
be  neglected.  It  was  in  this  way  that  I  went  to  the  Lady 
Marshal  Davout's,  who  had  heaped  civilities  on  me  during 
her  sojourn  at  Warsaw  at  the  time  when  her  husband  was  in 
command  in  Poland.  As  she  spent  her  summers  at  Sa- 
vigny,  it  was  thither  I  had  to  go  to  find  her.  I  sent  to  her 
town  house,  to  know  what  the  most  suitable  hour  would  be 
for  me  to  pay  my  visit.  The  answer  was  that  the  morning 


142  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

would  be.  I  therefore  betook  myself  to  Savigny  under  a 
burning  sky,  badly  protected  by  a  very  small  hat  trimmed 
with  violets,  and  very  much  encumbered  in  my  lilac  laced 
boots  exactly  matching  a  high-necked  dress  of  Neapolitan 
cloth  of  the  same  colour — Madame  Germont,  the  oracle  of 
fashion,  having  herself  devised  my  whole  costume. 

This  matutinal  dressing  up  seemed  to  me  slightly  un- 
timely. 

However  that  might  have  been,  I  promised  myself  an 
agreeable  visit.  The  lady's  Paris  house  had  given  me  a 
great  idea  of  her  taste  and  her  wealth,  and  I  expected  to  find 
her  luxuriously  bestowed  at  Savigny.  I  arrived  at  about 
three  o'clock.  The  castle,  surrounded  by  a  moat  and  a 
wall,  had  an  hermetically  closed  door  for  an  entrance.  The 
grass  grew  in  the  moat ;  you  would  have  said  it  was  a  place 
abandoned  many  years  before.  My  lackey  having  at  length 
found  the  bell-pull,  a  rather  ill-clad  little  girl  came  out, 
after  some  minutes,  to  ask  what  we  wanted. 

"Is  the  lady  marshal  at  home?" 

"Oh !  I  beg  your  pardon,  they  are,  and  the  marshal,  too," 
answered  the  little  girl. 

And  at  once  she  ran  for  one  of  the  men-servants  of  the 
castle,  who  followed  her  without  hurrying,  the  while  but- 
toning his  livery. 

I  sent  in  my  name,  and,  leaning  back  in  my  carriage, 
waited  a  long  time,  again  hardly  knowing  whether  to  per- 
sist or  merely  to  leave  a  card. 

After  a  short  quarter  of  an  hour  a  footman  at  last  pre- 
sented himself  at  the  carriage  door,  and  asked  me  into  a 
large  courtyard;  he  apologised  for  the  slowness  of  the  at- 
tendance, confessing  without  any  ado  that  when  I  arrived 
the  servants  were  working  in  the  garden,  and  that  himself 
was  occupied  in  cleaning  up  the  orchard. 

I  was  taken  through  several  entirely  denuded  rooms;  I 


MME.  REGNAULT  DE  ST.  JEAN  D'ANGELV, 

From  a  lithograph  cfa  drawing  by  Champagne. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  143 

was  shown  into  one  little  less  ornamental  than  the  first,  but 
at  least  there  were  a  sofa  and  chairs!  The  lady  marshal 
was  not  long  in  appearing.  I  easily  perceived  she  had 
dressed  up  for  me,  for  she  was  still  sticking  some  pins  into 
her  bodice.  After  a  few  minutes  of  languishing  conversa- 
tion she  rang  to  have  her  husband  notified.  Then  we  re- 
sumed our  painful  interview.  It  was  not  that  Madame 
Davout  was  deficient  in  the  ways  of  the  world,  or  devoid 
of  that  sort  of  cleverness  which  facilitates  intercourse  be- 
tween two  people  of  the  same  social  rank,  but  there  was  a 
certain  stiffness  about  her  which  might  have  been  taken  for 
haughtiness.  She  never  lost  the  marshalship  from  sight; 
never  did  a  gracious  smile  animate  her  severely  beautiful 
features.  She  was  always  Homer's  Juno,  or,  better  still, 
the  strong  woman  who  would  not  laugh  until  the  Last  Day. 
The  marshal  finally  arrived  in  a  state  of  perspiration 
which  bore  witness  to  politeness;  he  sat  down  all  out  of 
breath,  and,  holding  his  handkerchief  to  wipe  his  forehead, 
he  took  care  to  moisten  it  with  saliva,  so  as  to  remove  the 
dust  more  thoroughly  that  covered  his  face.  This  rather 
military  freedom  tallied  badly  with  his  wife's  starched  de- 
portment; she  was  visibly  put  out  by  it.  Finding  myself 
superfluous  in  this  mute  scene  I  rose,  intending  to  take  my 
leave,  but  I  was  asked  to  stay  to  luncheon.  While  the  table 
was  being  laid  we  took  a  walk  in  the  park.  There  was  not 
a  road  laid  out,  the  lawns  were  grown  with  high  grass  all 
ready  to  become  haystacks,  the  trees  clipped  during  the 
Revolution  were  sprouting  like  thickets ;  at  every  bush  I  left 
a  piece  of  my  flounces,  and  my  lilac  laced  boots  had  taken 
a  greenish  hue.  The  marshal  urged  us  on  with  voice  and 
gesture,  promising  us  a  delightful  surprise !  What  was  not 
my  disappointment  when,  turning  a  clump  of  young  oaks, 
we  found  ourselves  facing  three  small  wicker  huts!  The 
duke  went  down  on  the  ground  on  one  knee,  and  exclaimed : 


144  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

"Ah,  here  they  are!     Here  they  are!" 

Upon  which,  modulating  his  voice : 

"Peep — peep — peep !" 

Immediately  a  flock  of  partridges  fluttered  about  the  mar- 
shal's head. 

"Do  not  let  the  others  out  until  the  youngest  have  gone 
in  again,  and  give  these  ladies  some  bread.  They  will  enjoy 
themselves  like  queens,"  said  he  to  the  yokel  who  performed 
the  duties  of  gamekeeper. 

And  there  we  were,  in  the  scorching  sun,  feeding  part- 
ridges ! 

With  imperturbable  dignity  the  duchess  emptied  the 
basket  handed  to  her.  As  for  me,  I  nearly  fainted,  and,  the 
thing  becoming  too  much  for  me,  remarked  that  the  sky 
was  overcast  and  that  we  were  threatened  with  a  storm. 

Returning  to  the  castle,  I  saw  some  masons  whitewash- 
ing one  of  the  turrets,  which  up  to  then  had  escaped  the 
sacrilege  of  renovation,  and  had  worn  the  rust  that  time 
alone  can  give. 

I  could  not  keep  a  sort  of  criticism  from  the  marshal. 
His  wife  understood  me;  I  even  thought  to  discern  in  her 
look  and  her  disdainful  smile  a  previous  discussion  on  the 
subject  of  the  turret.  The  husband  did  not  disguise  the 
fact  from  me  that  my  observations  were  not  to  his  taste. 
He  even  launched  out  very  energetically  against  the  mania 
of  old  walls. 

Luncheon  over,  I  slipped  away  in  full  haste,  vowing, 
though  a  little  late,  never  to  be  caught  again. 

On  the  way  I  meditated  on  all  I  had  seen,  and  concluded 
to  myself  that  the  lovely  land  of  France  offered  singular 
contrasts,  that  the  great  lords  of  other  days  were  absurdly 
ignorant,  and  that  the  heroes  of  the  day,  after  paying  for 
their  riches  with  their  blood,  employed  it  in  a  mean  and 
paltry  fashion. 

I  described  my  visit  in  few  words  to  him  who  had  ad- 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  145 

vised  me  not  to  miss  it.  About  a  fortnight  back  he  had  left 
off  coming  to  see  me ;  he  wrote  to  me  that,  his  chest  ailing, 
he  had  been  forbidden  to  go  out.  Meanwhile  I  often  met 
his  mother ;  she  did  not  appear  to  me  to  be  anxious. 

After  a  time  he  said  he  was  better,  and  informed  me  that 
the  doctor  had  allowed  him  to  take  the  air,  on  condition  of 
his  going  home  before  sundown.  It  was  telling  me  enough 
to  let  me  guess  he  would  come  in  the  morning.  I  waited 
for  him,  and  confess  that  for  the  first  time  I  conceived  some 
doubts  as  to  the  rectitude  of  his  conduct  regarding  myself. 
I  imagined  that,  appearing  sick  and  sad,  he  wanted  to  begin 
by  disarming  my  pride,  and  I  put  myself  on  my  guard. 
At  three  o'clock  a  cabriolet  stopped  at  the  door,  and  a 
horse's  tread  I  never  mistook  for  another  made  my  heart 
beat. 

We  were  at  the  end  of  May,  but  there  was  such  a  nipping 
cold  that  I  had  had  a  fire  lit;  wanting  to  assume  counte- 
nance, I  began  to  poke  the  fire.  He  pushed  up  an  arm- 
chair, and  sat  near  me  without  breaking  the  silence.  I 
raised  my  eyes,  and  was  painfully  moved  by  the  change 
this  brief  illness  had  wrought.  Nevertheless,  I  was  hard 
enough  to  say  to  him : 

"So  you  have  been  really  ill?" 

"No,"  said  he,  "not  very,  and  now  I  am  well." 

These  few  words,  spoken  in  a  faint  voice,  at  once  made 
the  pyramid  of  distrust  and  severity  crumble,  which  I  had 
arduously  erected. 

"Pardon!"  I  said;  "pardon!  Forget  that  silly  question. 
Answer  my  sincere  interest,  my  lively  friendship;  forget 
that  stupid  nonsensical  question.  I  beg  you,  tell  me  about 
yourself!  What  is  the  matter  with  you?" 

"Nothing,  truly.  I  have  been  suffering,  but  it  is  over. 
Each  time  that  I  undergo  a  vivid  emotion  I  spit  blood ;  that 
is  all."  And  he  sat  quite  still,  looking  at  the  fire. 

"You  have  not  doubted  my  interest,  I  hope,"  I  resumed. 


146  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

"I  have  thought  of  you  more  than  you  suppose."  And  I 
felt  myself  blush,  and,  with  an  involuntary  movement,  cov- 
ered my  face  with  my  hands. 

"Ah !  do  not  tell  me  that !"  he  cried ;  "do  not  talk  to  me 
like  that !  Treat  me  like  an  old  friend  always ;  it  was  only 
on  that  understanding  you  accepted  me." 

I  knew  not  what  to  think;  I  was  painfully  affected,  and 
lost  myself  in  conjecture. 

Apparently  wishing  to  break  off  an  interview  equally 
troublesome  to  both,  he  took  out  his  watch  and  showed  me 
how  the  hand  was  jumping  from  three  to  four  o'clock. 

"Look,"  said  he,  "look  how  fast  it  is  going!  And  yet  it 
is  thus  that  life  goes;  those  who  suffer  ought  to  take  pa- 
tience. I  have  promised  my  mother  to  return  at  the  hour 
prescribed  by  the  doctor.  She  even  wanted  to  prevent  me 
from  going  out,  because  of  the  cold,  but  that  was  expecting 
too  much  of  my  common  sense.  I  have  more  than  I  am 
credited  with,  but  not  enough  to  take  care  of  myself." 

He  took  my  hand,  pressed  it  to  his  heart,  and  got  up 
abruptly,  without  giving  me  time  to  speak.  Arrived  at  the 
door,  he  said  to  me: 

"Be  good,  come  to  luncheon  to-morrow  at  my  mother's; 
we  shall  have  Labedoyere,  who  is  off  to  Spain.  He  very 
much  wishes  to  see  you ;  grant  him  the  favour ;  he  is  worthy 
of  it,  I  assure  you." 

I  nodded,  and  he  went,  leaving  me  in  a  vague  state  of 
sadness,  the  reason  of  which  I  could  not  explain  to  myself. 
Nothing  was  changed  in  our  relations ;  I  had  heard  nothing 
to  afflict  me.  Two  months  nearly  had  thus  elapsed  between 
intellectual  pleasures  and  the  charm  of  an  affection  shrouded 
in  mystery,  which  coloured  the  least  actions  of  my  life. 
But  the  prism  once  broken!  That  short  space  of  time, 
which  remained  in  my  memory  as  the  happiest  of  my  long 
career,  why  did  it  not  last?  Alack!  I  had  dark  presenti- 
ments, and  something  told  me  the  drama  was  about  to  begin. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  147 

Thenceforth,  I  admit,  society  lost  its  chief  attractions 
for  me. 

Propriety,  however,  requiring  that  I  should  not  in  any 
way  change  my  mode  of  life  without  a  plausible  motive, 
I  continued  to  go  into  society ;  I  imposed  pleasures  and  par- 
ties on  myself  by  force;  I  tried  to  stupefy  myself. 

The  next  day  I  went  to  the  luncheon.  I  saw  the  young 
Labedoyere,  so  handsome,  so  brave,  so  happy! 

M.  de  F proved  much  less  gloomy  than  the  day  be- 
fore. I  even  noticed  him  to  affect,  in  the  presence  of  his 
mother  and  his  friend,  a  joviality  not  natural  to  him,  and 
I  gathered  from  it  that  he  had  kept  his  secret.  As  he  was 
coughing,  his  mother  scolded  him  for  going  out  the  day 
before. 

"Alas!"  said  he,  "I  am  punished  more  than  enough,  for 
the  doctor  has  condemned  me  to  a  week's  confinement. 
But  as  soon  as  I  am  allowed  to  go  out  I  shall  take  our 
illustrious  travellers  to  Malmaison." 

He  designated  the  Duchess  of  Courland  and  myself  by 
this  pompous  name.  The  duchess  was  the  widow  of  the 
last  duke,  and  had  been  dispossessed  at  her  husband's  death. 
Russia  left  her  the  title  and  the  immense  fortune  which  the 
duke  had  secured  his  wife  by  the  marriage  contract.  She 
had  come  to  Warsaw,  I  hardly  know  on  what  grounds, 
and  had  been  magnificently  welcomed  by  Stanislaus  Augus- 
tus, then  king.  The  duchess  took  me  into  her  heart  for  the 
sake  of  the  prince  who  had  met  her  so  gallantly;  I  often 
accompanied  her  to  court  and  to  official  ceremonials.  What 
fascinated  me  was  that  her  carriage  went  in  without  stand- 
ing in  the  line.  At  the  period  I  mention  the  duchess  was 
in  her  decline,  but  she  kept  remnants  of  beauty  which 
assured  her  belated  conquests.  Her  princely  fortune  per- 
mitted her  to  keep  house  on  a  grand  scale;  everybody 
solicited  the  favour  of  admission.  M.  de  Talleyrand,  who 
was  not  insensible  to  the  charms  of  this  woman,  had  placed 


148  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

her  in  the  first  rank  of  Madame  de  Laval's  intimates,  and 
in  this  circle  one  was  supposed  to  admire  everything  the 
duchess  did — above  all,  her  tasteful  dresses  and  her  dia- 
monds were  admired.  I  have  more  than  once  seen  her  ar- 
rive at  midnight;  she  came  to  show  off  her  ball  dress  or 
some  new  jewelry,  just  as  a  woman  of  twenty  might 
have  done.  Her  old  adorer  always  waited  for  her,  and  eyed 
her  with  a  fervour  to  make  his  whole  seraglio  die  of  jeal- 
ousy, my  Aunt  Tyszkiewicz  being  one  of  them. 


M.  LABEDOYERE. 

Frotn  a  rare  pri'it. 


CHAPTER  VII 
ROUND   ABOUT   PARIS 

THE  COUNTESS  MNISZECH THE  PANORAMA  ARCADE THE 

QUEEN  OF  POLAND VISITS  TO  THE  PAINTERS'  STUDIOS 

THE     ABBE     MORELLET MADEMOISELLE     LENORMAND 

MADAME    DE    SOUZA    AND    THE    LITTLE    SORCERESS THE 

PYTHONESS — AN    EVENTFUL  YOUTH PROPHECY   OF  THE 

BIRTH    OF    COUNT    MAURICE    POTOCKI, 

I  HAD  another  aunt  in  Paris,  Countess  Mniszech,  cousin- 
german  to  my  mother,  and  a  niece  of  our  last  king.  She 
took  up  a  great  deal  of  my  time.  A  good  soul,  but  rather 
stupid  and  absurdly  vain,  she  believed  herself  entitled  to  the 
prerogatives  of  princesses  of  the  blood,  and  in  this  connec- 
tion she  had  many  unpleasant  experiences.  Neither  the  sad 
end  of  the  last  Polish  king  nor  the  dismemberment  of  our 
unhappy  country  had  been  able  to  cure  her  pretentiousness. 
The  Empress  of  Russia,  at  the  period  when  she  lavished 
honours  upon  the  Poles,  had  sent  her  the  order  of  Saint 
Catherine.  My  aunt  exhibited  the  medal  on  all  great  occa- 
sions, to  such  good  effect  that  in  Vienna  she  had  been  nick- 
named Countess  Medal.  She  was  not  in  the  least  aware  of 
how  ridiculous  she  made  herself.  All  she  thought  of  was 
to  uphold  the  dignity  of  her  name  by  display.  In  Paris  she 
had  in  her  service  the  house  steward  of  the  unfortunate 

149 


150  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

Princess  de  Lamballe.  Her  secretary,  M.  de  Ville,  hap- 
pened to  be  a  has  been  whose  quarterings,  as  incontestable 
as  they  were  unknown,  she  thought  lent  a  great  deal  of 
lustre  to  her  establishment.  She  gave  grand  suppers,  very 
tedious  and  splendid,  to  which  she  invited  insignificant  no- 
blemen and  obscure  men  of  letters.  So  people  made  their 
escape  as  soon  as  .civility  permitted.  She  did  not  like  that 
at  all,  because  she  thought  it  her  duty  to  make  her  guests 
talk.  Not  knowing  precisely  how  to  go  about  attaining  her 
object,  she  devised  the  plan  of  not  having  the  tablecloth 
removed. 

"The  liveliest  conversations,"  said  she,  "are  held  over  a 
round  table." 

She  had  spent  two  years  in  France,  and  was  thinking  of 
departure;  therefore  before  leaving  the  country  of  her  pre- 
dilection she  wished  to  inspect  everything  that  was  pointed 
out  to  her  as  worth  seeing. 

The  Panorama  Arcade  had  recently  been  opened.  It  was 
fashionable  to  go  shopping  there.  My  aunt  took  her  daugh- 
ters; the  youngest  and  cleverest  of  the  Prince  de  Ligne's 
girls,  Princess  Flora,  accompanied  us.  Our  retinue  was 
magnificent  and  numerous.  We  had  two  footmen,  in  scar- 
let livery,  gold-laced  on  every  seam,  a  negro,  and  a  chasseur. 
People  stood  still  in  the  street  to  see  us  pass. 

The  noble  secretary  followed  in  a  small  brougham,  armed 
with  a  well-stuffed  purse.  When  we  had  set  foot  on  the 
ground  we  were  surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  street  boys;  at 
every  shop  we  stopped  at  the  crowd  grew  denser ;  they  even 
climbed  the  balustrades  to  get  a  better  view  of  us.  My  poor 
aunt,  electrified  by  the  effect  she  supposed  she  was  produc- 
ing, redoubled  her  extravagance,  had  the  newest  and  most 
expensive  things  put  aside,  instructing  M.  de  Ville  very 
loudly  not  to  bargain,  this  plebeian  custom  being  odious  to 
her.  Turning  to  the  Princess  Flora,  as  well  as  to  myself 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  151 

and  her  daughters,  she  besought  us  to  choose  whatever  we 
liked,  and  overwhelmed  us  with  presents. 

Less  would  have  been  enough  to  excite  the  curiosity  of 
the  common  herd;  soon  the  street  urchins  gave  way  to  the 
Parisian  idlers,  who  roam  about  incessantly,  in  order  to 
let  nothing  escape  them  that  may  be  related  in  a  newspaper. 

Without  calculating  the  effect  of  a  thoughtless  word,  it 
occurred  to  Princess  Flora  to  say  to  some  one  staring  over 
her  shoulder: 

"Do  you  know  who  that  lady  is?  She  is  the  Queen  of 
Poland." 

At  once  this  sentence  spread  from  mouth  to  mouth ;  peo- 
ple jumped  over  the  shop  counter;  we  were  mobbed,  we  were 
jostled,  we  were  smothered;  the  confusion  became  inde- 
scribable and  retreat  impossible.  Very  luckily  an  honest 
tradesman,  perceiving  the  uselessness  of  our  servants'  efforts 
to  break  a  passage  for  us,  opened  a  little  secret  door  and 
thus  gave  us  the  possibility  of  flight.  And  my  aunt,  igno- 
rant of  Princess  Flora's  trick,  went  on  repeating  that  some 
people  could  not  shoiv  themselves  in  public  with  impunity. 

Having  once  decided  to  see  everything,  we  went  through 
all  the  studios.  The  painters  of  interiors  pleased  me  greatly. 
The  details  of  their  pictures  were  most  graceful;  but  my 
father-in-law  had  taught  me  to  admire  none  but  the  Italian 
school,  and  I  was  surprised  that,  with  the  finest  models  be- 
fore them,  the  painters  of  the  French  school  had  made  so 
little  progress,  or,  rather,  had  made  none  at  all.  Nothing 
great,  nothing  noble  was  evident  in  the  productions  of  the 
day.  The  young  painters,  to  be  sure,  had  fewer  manner- 
isms than  the  Bouchers  and  the  Vanloos,  but  they  aimed 
neither  at  the  exactness  of  Lesueur^nor  at  the  boldness  of 
Poussin,  nor  at  the  colouring  of  Lebrun.  You  might  have 
thought  genius  had  gone  out  of  fashion!  The  modern 
school  affected  a  kind  of  scorn  for  these  great  masters. 


152  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

David  only  proved  himself  a  classic;  however,  his  cadaver- 
ous colouring  offset  the  correctness  of  the  drawing;  his 
pictures  looked  like  bas-reliefs.  The  picture  which,  to  my 
mind,  will  bestow  immortality  on  David  is  that  historical 
portrait  of  Napoleon  ascending  Mount  Saint  Bernard  at  the 
head  of  his  army,  which  is  seen  in  the  defiles.  He  sits  com- 
posed on  a  restive  horse. 

Girodet  should  have  died  after  finishing  his  Dido;  none 
of  his  works  equals  this  little  painting.  y£neas,  it  is  true, 
is  rather  wooden;  he  lacks  animation;  but  you  hardly  look 
at  him,  so  attractive  is  the  group  of  two  women. 

Gerard  has  done  some  fine  portraits;  he  excels  in  this 
line.  But  he  lets  himself  be  drawn  into  the  painting  of  too 
many  details;  he  defers  too  obligingly  to  the  taste  of  the 
day,  and  paints  cashmere  shawls  and  transparent  stockings 
too  scrupulously.  The  richly  embroidered  lace  trimmed 
court  dresses,  the  corkscrew  curls,  the  short  waists,  will 
make  his  works  pass  out  of  fashion.  A  clever  painter  must 
see  to  it  that  his  portraits  are  paintings. 

I  was  much  astonished  to  find  these  gentlemen's  studios 
heaped  with  canvases  begun,  knowing  the  enormous  prices 
the  painters  of  that  period  asked  for  their  works.  They 
were  nearly  always  sketches  from  life,  representing  the  im- 
perial family  or  rich  foreigners ;  the  French  did  not  permit 
themselves  this  expensive  fancy. 

Young  women  who  recount  their  travels  nearly  all  feel 
obliged  to  devote  a  chapter  or  two  of  profound  thoughts  to 
the  progress  of  civilisation,  to  the  sciences,  etc.  The  greater 
part  of  these  dissertations  are  extracted  from  a  forgotten 
book,  or  they  are  gone  over  by  some  scholar,  some  friend. 
Sometimes  one  of  the  obscure  writers  is  applied  to,  who 
provides  copy  at  so  much  a  page.  As  for  myself,  having 
resolved  upon  frankness  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word, 
I  must  acknowledge  that  I  did  not  seek  the  aid  of  men  of 
letters.  To  estimate  them  at  their  right  value  it  is  enough 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  153 

to  judge  them  by  what  they  furnish  to  the  public.  A  single 
visit  always  seemed  to  me  both  useless  and  out  of  place. 
One  should  not  go  to  a  scholar  as  if  he  were  a  curiosity. 
This  superficial  way  of  arriving  at  a  conclusion  almost  al- 
ways has  stupid  conceit  for  its  motive.  Having  returned 
home  the  person  writes : 

"Mr.  So-and-So,  well  known  through  his  distinguished 
works,  received  me  most  charmingly.  We  talked  for  more 
than  an  hour.  He  was  astonished  at  the  facility  with  which 
I  expressed  myself  in  his  language,  and  advised  me  to 
write  my  memoirs.  He  is  a  man  of  unusual  parts;  he  has 
plenty  of  wit  and  learning,  etc. ;  and,  in  a  word,  he  is  one 
of  those  scholars  you  see  only  in  France,  and  among  the 
French,  while  elsewhere,"  etc.,  etc. 

What  took  me  aback  was  to  see  the  celebrities  of  the  day 
so  rarely  in  society.  Under  a  levelling  king  like  Napoleon, 
who  wanted  every  kind  of  merit  to  be  honoured,  it  ought  to 
have  been  commoner  to  meet  artists  and  literary  men  in 
the  saloons. 

At  Madame  de  Souza's  I  never  saw  but  the  Abbe  Mo- 
rellet.  It  was  he,  I  think,  who  in  the  Revolution  of  1789 
saved  himself  from  the  lamp-post  by  a  joke:  Will  it  make 
you  see  any  better f  Already  far  advanced  in  years,  he 
talked  little,  and  only  came  to  dine  to  satisfy  a  furious 
appetite.  After  dinner  he  took  a  nap.  He  snored  for  a 
good  hour,  and  ended  by  waking  himself  up.  I  was  then 
asked  to  take  him  to  his  door.  I  accepted  the  mission  the 
more  gladly  as  he  lived  near  me.  We  habitually  observed 
complete  silence,  but  at  the  moment  when  my  lackey  threw 
back  the  curtain  before  the  door  the  Abbe  thought  himself 
obliged  to  pay  me  a  compliment,  and,  already  on  the  car- 
riage step,  he  turned  round  and  said,  in  his  nasal  voice : 

"I  thank  you,  most  amiable  and  lovely  lady!"  And  I 
bade  him  good-night. 

At  these  dinners,  where  we  merrily  talked  about  every- 


154  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

thing,  some  one  happened  to  mention  Mile.  Lenormand  in 
connection  with  the  prophecy  she  had  made  the  Empress 
Josephine,  a  prophecy  half  of  which  was  already  fulfilled. 

I  manifested  an  eager  desire  to  see  this  famous  sooth- 
sayer, but  my  friends  discouraged  me  by  saying  that  her 
oracles  were  measured  by  the  fee  promised,  and  that  the 
future,  thus  evaluated,  was  for  sale  at  from  twelve  to  thirty- 
six  francs.  Illusion  could  not  withstand  such  a  reality. 

Mme.  de  Souza,  who  did  not  deny  being  very  supersti- 
tious, told  us  she  knew  a  fortune-teller  much  superior  to 
Mile.  Lenormand.  She  had  predicted  wonderful  things  for 
her,  she  said.  "If  I  were  not  afraid  to  repeat  them,"  added 
Mme.  de  Souza,  "you  would  be  greatly  surprised  at  them, 
for  they  are  so  improbable!" 

One  of  the  guests  hazarded  the  question  whether  this 
fortune-teller  had  not  announced  the  fall  of  the  empire. 
Mme.  de  Souza  only  shook  her  head  and  said  nothing.  To 
cut  short  these  indiscreet  questions,  she  proposed  to  take 
me  to  the  sorceress.  I  accepted  the  invitation  eagerly,  and 
the  next  day  but  one  we  put  our  plan  into  execution.  We 
went  on  foot,  at  dusk,  well  bundled  up  and  disguised.  My 
guide  went  first,  with  great  intrepidity,  up  four  horribly 
steep  flights  of  stairs.  I  followed  rather  timidly. 

Hearing  the  noise  we  made,  a  youngish  little  woman 
came  out  to  ask  us  what  we  wanted. 

"It  is  I,"  said  my  companion ;  "I  am  bringing  one  of  my 
relations,  just  come  from  the  country,  who  desires  to  know 
what  fate  awaits  her  in  Paris." 

.  The  little  woman  seemed  to  reflect.  Not  remembering 
Mme.  de  Souza,  she  excused  herself. 

"So  many  people  come  to  me,"  she  said,  "that  it  is  no 
wonder  if  I  mistake  faces;  the  more  so  as,  no  one  wishing 
to  give  a  name,  there  is  nothing  to  aid  my  memory." 

Delighted  witrrthis  discreet  beginning,  we  told  her  that 


L'ABBE  ANDRE  MORELLET. 

From  an  engraving  by  Massol  of  the  portrait. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  155 

she  had  a  right  to  forget  the  past,  since  she  had  the  gift  of 
looking  into  the  future.  This  compliment  did  not  seem  to 
flatter  her ;  I  even  believe  she  did  not  understand  it,  because 
her  mind  and  speech  were  very  simple. 

In  order  to  give  me  courage,  my  companion  was  the  first 
to  sit  down  at  the  magic  table,  and  ask  for  the  cards  rather 
than  the  coffee  strainer.  I  do  not  know  why  the  little  sor- 
ceress was  interested  in  surveying  the  past  instead  of  at- 
tending to  the  future.  I  have  learnt  since  that  Mme.  de 
Souza  had  had  an  eventful  youth;  she  was  most  seductive, 
and  had  not  always  been  cold  to  the  admiration  her  clever- 
ness had  brought  her.  The  past  was  becoming  shady;  in- 
discreet revelations  had  to  be  stopped. 

"You  only  have  one  son,  and  this  son,  whom  you  love 
tenderly,  has  just  been  in  great  danger,"  said  the  fortune- 
teller to  my  companion. 

The  poor  mother  could  not  restrain  a  cry  of  anguish. 
"Be  comforted,"  added  the  woman ;  "he  is  safe !  One  might 
call  it  a  miracle  of  Heaven!  His  is  indeed  a  lucky  star. 
I  can  tell  you  that  the  danger  to  which  he  was  just  now 
exposed  was  of  no  human  doing.  He  fought  against  the 
elements.  I  cannot  say  whether  it  was  fire  or  water;  my 
cards  say  nothing  positive  enough  about  it;  but  do  not 
be  disturbed ;  you  will  learn  all  the  details  of  the  adventure 
from  a  widow  among  your  friends,  and  your  son  was  not 
alone  in  danger." 

We  looked  at  one  another  in  silence.  Not  wishing  to 
know  any  more,  my  companion  obliged  me  to  take  her  place. 
I  cannot  boast  of  not  being  frightened,  but  my  mind  was 
made  up,  and  being  decided  upon  shrinking  from  nothing, 
I  asked  for  the  cards  and  the  strainer,  while  telling  myself 
I  should  have  to  admit  this  infraction  of  the  laws  of  the 
church  to  my  confessor. 

My  past  had  so  little  in  it !     A  quiet,  pleasant  life,  duties 


156  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

and  affections  over  which  the  storm  had  thundered  without, 
as  yet,  doing  any  harm.  My  two  sweet  children  were  in 
the  front  of  this  family  picture.  I  had  made  it  a  condition 
that  I  was  not  to  be  told  how  long  the  beings  that  were  dear 
to  me  were  to  live.  After  pondering  a  long  time,  and  com- 
bining the  cards  with  the  strainer,  the  little  sorceress  as- 
sured me  that  my  children's  lot  would  be  like  my  own.  But 
I  thought  I  perceived  a  sign  of  hesitation  in  her  words,  and 
that  frightened  me.  Great  temerity  is  needed  not  to  be 
afraid  to  lift  the  kindly  veil  which  conceals  the  future  from 
us!  Alas!  it  was  proved  to  me  but  too  well  how  much  I 
ought  to  fear  the  future ! 

The  woman  probably  noticed  the  distress  I  was  in,  for 
she  said: 

"Let  us  not  speak  of  the  children  you  have.  Their  des- 
tiny, I  repeat,  is  not  in  any  way  extraordinary,  but  when 
you  return  to  your  country  you  will  give  birth  to  a  son  who 
will  be  heard  from.  I  do  not  know  exactly  where  you 
come  from,  or  what  your  country  is ;  but  you  certainly  come 
from  a  place  where  peace  never  reigns,  and  I  see  wars  and 
blood  in  my  cards.  Very  well !  This  son,  who  will  come 
into  the  world  under  the  luckiest  of  constellations,  will  be- 
come the  chief  of  a  powerful  party;  perhaps  he  will  even 
be  king." 

I  laughed,  and  looked  at  Mme.  de  Souza,  imagining  she 
had  prepared  this  mystification,  and  dictated  all  these  fool- 
ish things.  But  she  swore  that  she  had  not  set  foot  in  this 
house  for  over  a  year.  The  little  woman,  perceiving  my 
suspicions,  seemed  sensitive  to  them,  and,  in  order  to  lay 
more  stress  on  her  prophecies,  she  offered  supposititious 
proofs  by  means  of  which  I  might  have  certainty  as  to  their 
veracity. 

"And,"  she  continued,  "I  can  assure  you  that  this  son 
will  be  endowed  with  what  we  call  the  love  of  men.  In  all 


MLLE.  LENORMAND,  THE  SOOTHSAYER. 

From  a  lithograph  of  the  draining  by  Champagne. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  157 

places,  and  at  any  age,  he  will  be  loved  by  old  and  young, 
poor  and  rich,  by  men  almost  as  much  as  by  women.  His 
success  will  be  irresistible,  and  will  result  chiefly  from  his 
good  character." 

These  words  remained  graven  in  my  memory,  and  I  can 
state  that  the  predictions  were  all  realised. 

When  I  left  Paris  I  did  not  give  this  prophecy  another 
thought.  I  had  other  joys  and  other  sorrows.  It  was  only 
at  the  moment  my  son  came  into  the  world  that  everything 
the  little  woman  had  said  came  back  to  my  mind. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MALMAISON— THE  AVOWAL 

JOSEPHINE  —  NAPOLEON'S  BEDCHAMBER  —  JOSEPHINE'S 
TASTE — THE  PICTURE  GALLERY — THE  GARDENS  AND  THE 
HOTHOUSES — THE  EMPEROR'S  INVITATION — CONVERSA- 
TION WITH  THE  EMPEROR — NOTE  FROM  CHARLES  DE 
F T — EXPLANATION — AN  OFFICER'S  ROMANCE. 

A  FEW  days  after  this  expedition  we  went  to  see  Malmai- 
son.  Josephine  had  just  gone  to  Switzerland.  The  em- 
peror having  paid  numerous  visits  to  the  ex-empress,  Marie- 
Louise  took  umbrage  at  it,  and  it  was  decided  that  Jose- 
phine should  take  herself  off  at  once.  I  had  wished  to  be 
presented  to  her,  but  she  never  received  strangers;  she 
showed  herself  to  none  but  those  who,  by  constant  devotion, 
had  made  themselves  worthy  of  her  confidence  and  affection. 
That  poor  heart  was  shrinking  into  itself.  Josephine  was 
seeking  solitude  as  much  as  she  had  loved  the  world.  At 
Malmaison,  at  least,  she  was  not  persecuted  by  idle  inquisi- 
tiveness;  it  was  said  she  wept  a  great  deal,  and  did  not 
attempt  to  conceal  her  grief.  Deeply  attached  to  him,  it 
was  Napoleon  she  regretted  far  more  sorrowfully  than  the 
brilliant  position  she  had  quitted. 

Malmaison  was  shown  us  from  roof  to  cellar.     With 
what  interest  and  eager  curiosity  we  surveyed  the  spot,  the 

158 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  159 

witness  of  such  great  events.  So  much  love  and  so  much 
fame!  Fabulous  tales,  innumerable  triumphs,  unparalleled 
intoxications!  All  that  drama  of  the  hero's  life  unfolded 
itself  there  for  ten  years,  and  these  still  vibrant  memories 
imparted  to  the  present,  as  it  were,  the  reflection  of  the  past. 

Napoleon's  bedchamber,  where,  as  first  consul,  he  had 
already  mused  upon  a  world-empire,  and  where,  yet  later, 
as  absolute  monarch,  his  senses  lulled  by  fame,  he  came 
for  rest,  is  at  this  moment  in  the  same  state  as  when  he  left 
it,  never  to  return.  Josephine  had  prohibited  the  door  to 
the  curious.  It  was  only  by  force  of  gold  and  insistence 
that  we  were  shown  the  room. 

If  ever  a  sacrilegious  fashion  dared  to  change  the  furni- 
ture of  this  room  it  would  be  a  crime  which  posterity  would 
have  the  right  to  lay  at  the  door  of  the  nation  which  did 
not  prevent  it.  Malmaison  ought  to  become  a  national 
possession. 

And  apart  from  the  interest  always  attaching  to  the  small- 
est details  of  a  great  man's  life,  this  room  is  of  itself  one 
of  the  finest  to  be  seen.  The  carved  bedstead  is  of  ancient 
form,  simple  and  irreproachable;  it  stands  on  a  platform 
covered  with  a  tiger-skin  of  the  greatest  beauty.  A  spa- 
cious tent,  supplying  the  place  of  curtains,  is  held  up  by 
trophies  of  arms  which  all  recall  a  victory  or  signify  a  con- 
quest. They  are  neither  vain  military  trappings  nor  rich 
ornaments ;  they  form  a  sort  of  talking  chronicle,  which  tells 
the  high  deeds  of  the  soldier  as  well  as  the  fame  of  the  war- 
rior whose  booty  they  were. 

Everything  that  speaks  to  the  imagination  unconsciously 
inspires  respect  and  reverence.  While  we  were  occupied 
in  examining  every  detail  of  this  once  historical  room,  the 
silence  was  only  interrupted  by  the  custodian's  voice,  to 
whom  we  from  time  to  time  addressed  questions. 

About  Josephine's  room  there  was  nothing  noticeable  but 


l6o  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

the  little  taste  and  harmony  exhibited.  The  furniture  is  of 
all  colours  and  all  styles;  it  is  an  agglomeration  of  gew- 
gaws, in  which  neither  elegant  simplicity  nor  artistic  predi- 
lection is  discoverable — no  reminiscences;  it  is  all  yester- 
day's. Fashion,  so  mighty  in  Paris,  here  reigns  supreme. 

Only  the  picture  gallery  is  beyond  criticism.  It  is  easily 
perceived  that  an  artist  gifted  with  taste  and  judgment  had 
its  supervision.  The  Flemish  school  there  is  by  far  supe- 
rior to  the  Italian.  Not  wishing  to  enter  upon  one  of  those 
minute  descriptions  which  always  weary  the  ignorant  and 
never  satisfy  the  expert,  I  will  confine  myself  to  the  obser- 
vation that  this  gallery  includes  pictures  by  Claude  Lorrain 
of  the  greatest  beauty,  a  splendid  Ruysdael,  several  Paul 
Potters,  and  a  number  of  delightful  Wouvermans. 

As  for  the  architecture  of  the  house,  it  is  not  only  defec- 
tive, but  vulgar.  A  squashed,  low,  detached  building,  under 
a  mansard  roof;  narrow  little  windows,  mean  doors,  a  few 
heavy  decorations — in  a  word,  paltriness  without  simplicity 
and  pretentiousness  without  largeness. 

The  garden  and  notably  the  hothouses  are  admirable. 
There  are  so  many  rare  plants  from  all  parts  of  the  world 
that  it  is  easy  to  imagine  one's  self  in  the  tropics. 

If  the  huge  cost  is  approximately  evaluated  of  the  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  these  gardens,  no  doubt  is  left 
of  Josephine's  preference  for  plants  and  flowers  among  all 
the  luxuries  she  surrounded  herself  with  for  ten  years. 
Culture  and  dress  were  not  neglected,  but  the  empress's  real 
passion  was  the  love  of  her  park  and  hothouses.  How 
much  this  daintily  adorned  retreat  must  have  added  to  the 
splendour  of  the  festivities  and  to  the  romantic  love-affairs 
of  a  brilliant  court ! 

Returned  home,  I  found  an  invitation  which  both  sur- 
prised and  flattered  me.  It  was  a  letter  from  the  chamber- 
lain on  duty,  who  informed  me  I  had  been  nominated  to 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  161 

the  honour  of  dining  with  Their  Majesties  that  same  day, 
at  six  o'clock;  it  was  then  ten.  Nothing  was  rarer  than 
such  condescension,  especially  toward  a  stranger.  Since 
his  marriage  the  emperor  followed  the  old  etiquette  of  the 
French  court,  and  only  dined  in  the  family  circle.  I  prom- 
ised myself  faithfully  not  to  allow  my  regrets  to  pass  unob- 
served. Very  luckily,  the  ball  given  by  the  minister  of 
war  would  offer  me  the  opportunity  of  explaining.  I  hoped 
that  Napoleon,  as  was  his  wont,  would  deign  to  say  a  few 
words  to  me.  So  I  took  care  to  go  to  this  party  early,  in 
order  to  get  a  good  place.  Wanting  to  make  certain  of 
attracting  the  emperor's  attention,  I  took  the  precaution  to 
put  on  all  my  diamonds,  and  to  dress  more  showily  than  I 
had  been  in  the  habit  of  doing  up  to  then — perhaps  to  make 
myself  conspicuous.  As  I  had  foreseen,  the  emperor,  hav- 
ing noticed  me,  took  my  direction,  pretending  a  pout. 

"Ah!  Madame  la  Comtesse,"  he  said,  "no  doubt  you  got 
home  very  late  yesterday;  we  had  hoped  to  see  you,  and 
your  place  remained  empty!" 

Encouraged  by  this  gracious  reception,  I  tried  to  express 
the  regret  I  had  experienced  in  opening  the  letter  which 
apprised  me  of  everything  I  had  lost  by  my  absence.  As 
he  listened  to  me  with  a  smile,  I  added  that  it  would  have 
been  better  if  I  had  not  come  to  Paris. 

He  let  me  talk,  was  amused  at  my  disappointment,  and 
ended  in  consoling  me  by  saying,  with  charming  good-hu- 
mour, that  I  ought  to  know  the  old  proverb:  adjourned  is 
not  forgotten,  and  that  another  time  it  would  be  thought  of 
in  season. 

This  interview,  which  was  long  enough  to  arouse  jeal- 
ousy, gave  rise  to  the  most  misplaced  suggestions.  More 
than  one  woman  envied  what  she  called  my  position,  and 
many  plotted  in  secret  to  gain  the  favour  they  pretended  to 
despise. 


1 62  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

During  the  next  few  days  I  received  a  number  of  visits; 
several  persons  who  had  never  thought  of  doing  me  this 
civility  came  to  leave  their  cards,  and  I  told  myself  that  in 
what  was  vile  all  courts  were  alike,  the  most  modern  and 
the  most  ancient.  How  far  they  were  from  suspecting  what 
was  occupying  my  mind !  Once  I  had  left  the  ball,  I  did  not 
bestow  another  thought  on  this  little  triumph  of  vanity. 

After  his  recovery  Charles  did  not  come  to  see  me  so 
often;  he  selected  hours  when  I  received  indifferent  peo- 
ple, being  certain  of  not  finding  me  alone.  He  never- 
theless kept  minutely  informed  of  my  doings;  he  had  not 
left  off  directing  my  sightseeing.  Here  is  the  note  he 
wrote  me  two  days  after  the  splendid  Guards'  ball,  recorded 
by  all  the  newspapers  of  the  time : 

"What  were  you  doing  last  night?  I  had  hoped  to  meet 

you  at  the  Duchess  de  L 's.  You  were  going  there; 

why  did  you  not  come  ?  Fearing  it  might  be  too  late,  I  did 
not  venture  to  call  upon  you,  or,  if  I  may  be  frank,  dread- 
ing to  find  you  alone,  I  refrained.  Will  you  allow  me  to 
escort  you  to-morrow  morning  to  Gerard's?  Everybody 
goes  there  to  see  Madame  Walewska's  portrait.  It  is  only 
under  such  conditions  that  I  want  to  meet  you.  However 
singular  I  may  seem  to  you,  withdraw  neither  your  confi- 
dence nor  your  friendship  from  me.  Bear  with  me  and  pity 
me.  Could  you  guess  how  unhappy  I  am,  you  would  un- 
derstand that  I  am  more  than  ever  in  need  of  your  indulgent 
friendship  and  that  I  am  worthy  of  your  esteem." 

There  are  moments  in  life  when  a  word  determines  the 
future.  These  few  lines  brought  on  an  explanation  which 
both  of  us  shrank  from  and  avoided. 

If  M.  de  F had  continued  as  attentive  as  in  the  past; 

if  he  had  sought  out  every  occasion  to  see  me  alone;  if,  in 
fact,  I  had  thought  suspicion  of  his  schemes  necessary,  I 
should  have  been  on  my  guard  against  him  and  myself. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  163 

But  this  persistence  in  shunning  me,  this  unconquerable 
melancholy  of  whose  cause  I  was  ignorant,  the  mystery  in 
which  his  feelings  were  enshrouded,  and,  more  than  any- 
thing, the  prudence  that  guided  all  his  actions,  disturbed  me 
still  more  than  his  past  assiduities  had.  For  the  first  time 
I  dared  to  discover  that  I  loved  him,  and  I  let  him  guess 
it.  I  cannot  possibly  remember  the  words  I  used,  but  ap- 
parently there  was  such  an  accent  of  truth  in  my  answer, 
such  poignant  regret  at  having  perhaps  said  too  much,  that 
Charles  could  not  mistake  my  feelings,  and  the  perfect 
knowledge  he  had  of  the  straightforwardness  of  my  charac- 
ter did  me  better  service  than  all  the  arts  of  a  coquette  could 
have  mustered  for  the  occasion.  In  half  an  hour's  time  the 
following  note  reached  me : 

"Why  have  you  written  ?  You  have  succeeded  in  making 
me  the  most  unhappy  of  men !  I  must  positively  speak  with 
you ;  receive  me  alone  this  evening." 

I  was  dumfounded.  The  thought  of  his  happiness  only 
had  momentarily  carried  the  day  over  the  strictness  of  my 
principles,  and  over  the  firm  resolve  "I  had  taken  never  to 
fail  in  my  duty.  At  learning  the  futility  of  so  great  a 
sacrifice  a  deep  despondency  overtook  me. 

When,  that  evening,  Charles  sent  in  his  name,  he  found 
me  on  the  spot  where  I  had  read  his  answer,  absorbed  in 
meditation  to  the  point  of  frightening  him  by  my  immo- 
bility. Sitting  at  my  desk,  I  had  mechanically  taken  up  a 
penknife,  and,  without  thinking,  was  cutting  my  glove.  A 
little  drop  of  blood  brought  me  back  from  my  dream,  and 
struck  terror  into  that  heart  so  familiar  with  danger. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  he  cried,  snatching  the  penknife 
from  me.  "Listen  to  me,  for  mercy's  sake.  Have  pity  on 
the  state  I  am  in.  The  time  has  come  when  honour  imposes 
the  cruel  duty  upon  me  of  concealing  nothing  further  from 
you.  When  I  saw  you  in  Poland  I  loved  you  with  fervour 


1 64  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

and  devotion.  Up  till  then  I  had  been  very  light;  to  you  it 
was  reserved  to  bring  about  an  entire  change  in  me.  I  was 
often  surprised  at  the  sort  of  religion  with  which  you  in- 
spired me,  who  know  so  little  diffidence  with  women,  and — 
I  dared  not  let  you  divine  my  love !  You  were  surrounded 
with  such  a  halo  of  purity  and  innocence,  I  saw  you  so 
wrapped  up  in  your  child  and  so  faithful  to  your  obliga- 
tions, that  it  seemed  impossible,  and  so  to  speak  criminal, 
to  attempt  to  turn  you  away  from  the  right  path ;  moreover, 
you  showed  me  such  natural  kindliness,  such  a  confiding 
interest,  that  I  went  away  persuaded  my  love  had  not  even 
been  suspected.  In  the  presence  of  your  husband  I  asked  per- 
mission to  write  to  you,  and  it  was  granted,  for  news  from 
headquarters  was  welcome.  A  single  word  in  one  of  your 
letters  gave  birth  to  a  little  hope  in  my  heart!  A  woman 
had  been  mentioned  who,  so  rumour  said,  had  followed  me 
to  Germany;  I  thought  to  have  observed  that  the  absurd 
fiction  had  got  to  yourself;  I  even  ventured  to  suppose  you 
had  been  angered  by  it,  and  I  so  sincerely  wished  to  explain 
matters  that  I  applied  to  Marshal  Davout  for  leave  to  go  to 
Warsaw.  If  the  leave  was  refused,  I  was  determined  to  go 
secretly;  but  it  was  your  sanction  that  I  awaited.  Alas! 
you  must  remember  the  bantering  tone  of  your  reply,  and  so 
I  begged  permission  to  return  to  France.  Prince  Murat 
did  not  forgive  me  for  having  left  his  staff,  and  for  more 
than  a  year  I  was  forgotten  in  a  small  German  garrison. 
My  mother  wrote  of  ten,  and  comforted  me  as  best  she  could ; 
she  repeated  in  all  her  letters  that  I  must  be  patient,  that  a 
person  whose  good  name  was  well  established,  and  who 
loved  me  without  my  suspecting  it,  was  taking  steps  to  have 
me  recalled.  I  actually,  at  last,  received  the  order,  or,  more 
properly  speaking,  the  permission  to  go  back,  signed  by  the 
emperor's  own  hand.  My  mind  was  made  up  to  forget 
you,  but  being  always  haunted  by  your  face,  I  involun- 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  165 

tarily  compared  you  with  all  the  women  I  knew;  your  na- 
ture, your  fascinating  blitheness,  that  effusion  so  peculiar 
to  Poles,  and  which  particularly  in  yourself  had  seemed 
so  entrancing,  rendered  the  French  women  affected  in  my 
eyes  and  lacking  in  the  individuality  which  multiplies  the 
power  to  please  and  to  conquer.  One  of  them,  however,  and 
the  only  one  whose  name  was  to  be  kept  from  you  forever, 
touched  my  heart  while  trying  to  conceal  the  passion  I  had 
evoked.  It  was  of  her  that  my  mother  spoke  in  all  her 
letters.  Not  at  all  pretty,  she  believed  herself  condemned 
never  to  be  loved,  and  did  not  even  dare  try  to  please;  her 
steadfast  and  generous  attachment  was  hidden  from  all  eyes 
under  the  pretence  of  a  purely  fraternal  liking. 

"My  dealings  with  her  brother,  who  was  my  best  friend, 
gave  me  opportunity  to  see  her  constantly.  I  watched  her 
long  before  paying  her  back.  She  instilled  neither  the  ad- 
miration which  others  had  made  me  know  at  my  entrance 
to  society  nor  the  exalted  love  that  you  alone  had  poured 
into  my  heart.  I  ended  by  loving  her,  for  I  had  a  thousand 
proofs  of  her  devotion.  The  more  I  valued  her,  the  un- 
worthier  it  seemed  to  me  to  thwart  her  expectation.  'Yes,' 
she  said,  in  her  gentle  voice,  'but  if  you  could  still  love  an- 
other woman,  love  as  you  loved  in  Poland,  I  feel  I  should 
die/  These  few  words  made  me  sacrifice  my  liberty  to  her. 
For  two  years  I  consecrated  my  efforts  to  her  happiness, 
and  imagined  I  was  happy  myself  at  seeing  with  what  grati- 
tude she  accepted  my  earnest  affection.  Your  presence  sud- 
denly destroyed  every  illusion;  the  sight  of  you  gave  me 
back  the  strong  emotions  I  believed  destroyed  forever.  I 
felt  myself  reborn  to  hope,  to  joy;  the  absence  of  my  friend, 
who  had  left  a  few  days  before  your  arrival,  delivered  me 
defenceless  to  the  powerful  temptation  I  was  undergoing. 
But  when  I  foresaw  that  you  might  be  touched  by  so  much 
love,  and  when  I  had  seriously  reviewed  my  position  and 


1 66  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

my  conduct,  the  stern  voice  of  honour  made  itself  heard; 
I  understood  that  my  duty  was  to  flee  you !  I  have  suffered 
and  struggled  much;  above  all,  I  wished  you  might  pre- 
serve me  your  esteem.  I  know  you  too  well,  I  rate  you 
too  highly,  to  venture  to  offer  you  a  heart  linked  by  duty 
to  another  life. 

"You  are  so  fit  to  be  the  sole  object  of  my  adoration 
that  you  can  see  another  woman  claim  her  share  of  my  love 
without  anger.  If  in  Poland  I  had  dared  to  hope  that  some 
day  you  might  love  me  I  would  have  forsaken  all — my 
mother,  my  country,  my  friends.  Your  country  would  have 
become  mine;  I  would  have  defended  and  served  it  with 
that  enthusiasm  which  you  only,  a  Pole,  know  how  to  in- 
spire. I  saw  you  besieged  by  admirers;  you  were  equally 
amiable  to  them  all ;  never  did  you  encourage  me  to  make 
an  avowal.  Now  I  have  told  you  everything;  I  have  done 
my  duty.  I  have  not  deceived  you  by  abusing  your  touch- 
ing and  generous  confidence.  Do  not  ask  more!  Beware 
of  me  and  of  my  love.  It  is  possible  that,  to  be  very  sure 
of  conquering,  I  ought  to  renounce  the  perilous  felicity  of 
constantly  meeting  you !  But  you  have  good  sense  enough 
for  both;  how  should  I  find  the  courage  to  leave  you  when 
I  think  that  perhaps  fate  will  separate  us  forever?  You 
will  go  back  to  your  country,  and  I  shall  try  to  be  killed  on 
the  first  occasion  that  presents  itself.  Now  you  know," 
he  added  with  a  melancholy  smile,  "that  the  emperor  does 
not  spare  us  on  those  occasions.  How,  then,  should  I  de- 
prive myself  of  the  sad  pleasure  which  I  still  can  relish  for 
a  little  while?  One  condemned  to  death  has  in  every  coun- 
try the  right  to  dispose  of  his  last  moments." 

I  had  listened  to  him  in  silence;  it  was  late,  and  for  the 
first  time  I  saw  him  going  without  repining.  My  heart  was 
ready  to  break !  A  torrent  of  tears  at  last  gave  me  solace. 
As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  reflect,  I  sounded  the  abyss  on 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  167 

whose  edge  I  had  been  walking.  In  rendering  acknowledg- 
ment to  the  scrupulous  delicacy  of  him  who  had  sustained 
me  at  the  moment  when  I  perhaps  might  have  failed,  I  un- 
derstood the  whole  extent  of  the  danger  I  had  escaped. 
Nevertheless,  esteem  and  admiration  enhanced  a  passion  I 
could  not  exclude,  and  which  for  a  long  time  after  domi- 
nated all  others.  The  picture  of  that  mysterious  woman, 
whom  I  always  saw  between  him  and  me,  was  hateful  to 
me !  I  decked  her  out  in  all  the  charms  she  perhaps  did  not 
own,  and  I  was  unable  to  admit  that  she  might  envy  my 
lot,  for,  upon  the  whole,  the  most  beloved  was  necessarily 
the  least  unhappy. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  DINNER   AT   SAINT-CLOUD 

INVITATION  TO  SAINT-CLOUD MADAME  DE   MONTEBELLO 

MARIE-LOUISE DRIVE     IN     THE     PARK THE     EMPEROR'S 

BILL  OF  FARE PRINCE  EUGENE THE  KING  OF  HOL- 
LAND'S ABDICATION — MARIE-LOUISE  COAXES  HER  HUS- 
BAND  RUMOURS  OF  WAR  WITH  RUSSIA — TALMA — 

LUNCHEON     AT     M.     DE     TALLEYRAND'S FAREWELL     TO 

CHARLES  DE  F T DEPARTURE. 

HAD  I  followed  my  first  impulse  I  should  have  left  Paris 
on  the  spot,  but  I  was  delayed  by  the  affair  with  which  my 
husband's  parents  had  entrusted  me ;  it  was  a  case  of  claim- 
ing an  indemnity  promised  by  the  emperor  in  consideration 
of  the  huge  losses  the  Count  and  Countess  Stanislaus  Po- 
tocki  had  sustained  during  the  quartering  of  the  French 
army  on  their  estates  in  1807. 

Little  given  to  solicitation  of  this  kind,  since  I  by  nature 
felt  repugnance  towards  any  sort  of  transaction  of  which  in- 
terest, however  just,  was  the  foundation,  I  had  altogether 
neglected  my  mission,  and  it  was  only  through  remembering 
I  was  to  render  account  of  the  result  of  my  steps  that  I 
thought  of  it. 

There  came  a  second  invitation  to  Saint-Cloud,  the  day 
before  the  date  appointed  in  the  letter;  it  was  impossible  to 
decline,  and,  moreover,  the  curiosity  attaching  to  all  that 

168 


COUNTESS   POTOCKA  169 

could  throw  light  on  the  private  life  of  the  great  man  be- 
came one  of  the  most  salutary  diversions  for  me. 

Court  mourning  was  then  being  worn.  I  immediately 
sent  to  Madame  Germont's,  in  order  to  have  a  dress  appro- 
priate to  the  event.  She  answered  my  lady's  maid  that,  the 
emperor  not  caring  for  black,  mourning  of  this  class  was 
worn  all  in  white,  especially  in  the  country;  that  the  round 
dress  and  the  fancy  headdress  were  adopted  when  one  had 
the  honour  of  being  admitted  to  Their  Majesties'  intimate 
circle,  and  that  I  should  have  everything  I  wanted  by  noon. 

At  half  past  five  I  presented  myself  at  the  gate  of  Saint- 
Cloud.  The  sentinel  making  some  difficulties  about  letting 
my  carriage  enter  the  court,  the  chamberlain  on  duty  was 
kind  enough  to  waive  orders,  and  ushered  me  into  the  sa- 
loon. There  I  found  the  Duchess  of  Montebello,  who,  in 
her  function  of  lady  of  the  palace,  did  the  honours  rather 
coldly,  as  if  to  add  to  my  embarrassment  at  meeting  none 
of  my  acquaintances.  It  was  her  manner;  she  was  so  to 
every  one,  which  did  not  prevent  her  having  devoted  friends 
and  warm  admirers,  whom  she  owed  as  much  to  her  beauty 

to  the  esteem  she  created  in  all  who  knew  her. 

The  empress  came  in  at  six  o'clock  punctually,  accom- 
panied by  her  lady  of  the  bedchamber,  a  has  been  whose 
name  I  forget.  She  was  said  to  be  fully  versed  in  the  cere- 
monial practised  at  the  court  of  Louis  XVI.,  a  very  choice 
merit  at  this  season,  because  of  the  young  sovereign. 

Marie-Louise,  dressed  very  simply,  was  wearing  a  white 
dress,  with  a  black  ribbon  border  at  the  bottom ;  this  was  the 
mourning  which  I  have  mentioned.  Princess  Borghese  ar- 
rived a  minute  after,  and  also  the  emperor  and  the  Duke  of 
Wurtzburg,  the  empress'  uncle,  the  same  who  had  brought 
her  to  Paris.  M.  de  Montalivet,  Minister  of  the  Interior, 
followed  them.  That  was  all !  There  was  neither  retinue 
nor  parade — we  were  in  private. 


170  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

After  speaking  a  few  words  to  me,  the  emperor  rang  the 
bell  and  asked  if  the  carriages  were  at  the  door.  Upon 
the  answer  given  him  in  the  affirmative,  he  proposed  a  short 
drive  in  the  park;  he  gave  the  empress  his  arm,  and  both 
got  into  a  handsome  calash  to  which,  English  fashion,  six 
magnificent  bays  were  harnessed,  with  three  jockeys  in  green 
and  gold  livery. 

We  followed  in  a  sort  of  pretty  little  six-seated  open 
basket  carriage.  The  Duke  of  Wurtzburg  looked  to  be 
somewhat  ill  at  ease,  and  proffered  only  a  few  words  to 
the  Princess  Borghese,  with  whom  he  was  supposed  to  be 
in  love ;  he  did  not  seem  so  the  least  bit  in  the  world. 

The  silence  was  not  interrupted  but  by  the  lamentations 
and  sighs  of  the  three  ladies,  who  without  their  hats  were 
exposed  to  the  dust  and  the  rays  of  the  sun. 

We  thus,  for  a  half  hour,  traversed  all  the  avenues  of 
the  park,  going  at  a  fast  trot  the  whole  time. 

I  noticed,  at  the  turns  of  the  roads,  where  the  pace  neces- 
sarily slackened,  individuals  who,  petitions  in  hand,  made 
ready  to  throw  them  into  the  emperor's  calash  at  a  sign 
from  him. 

These  drives  were  one  of  those  fancies  whose  very  slight 
agreeableness  the  emperor  did  not  understand,  and  naturally 
no  one  dared  to  make  the  observation.  When  the  calash 
stopped  the  front  box  was  littered  with  petitions.  The 
chamberlain  on  duty  was  ordered  to  hand  them  over  to  the 
principal  secretary.  I  have  since  learnt  that  every  morning 
Napoleon  had  an  abstract  of  the  petitions  of  the  day  before 
read  him,  and  that  himself  dictated  the  answers. 

After  the  drive,  dinner  being  served,  the  emperor  mo- 
tioned to  Marie-Louise  to  take  her  uncle's  arm  and  to  go 
into  the  dining-room;  he  followed  them,  and  we  entered 
also,  excepting  the  lady  of  the  bedchamber  and  the  Duchess 


<  $ 

<  i 

i,  ? 

-,i  So 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  171 

de  Montebello,  who  to  my  great  surprise  passed  into  an- 
other room,  where  a  table  with  thirty  covers  stood  ready  for 
the  great  officers,  as  well  as  the  ladies  on  duty,  to  whom  the 
Grand  Marshal  Duroc  did  the  honours  of  the  meal.  While 
attending  Their  Majesties  through  the  rooms,  I  saw  Mar- 
shal Davout  on  duty  that  day  as  captain  of  the  guard.  I 
admit  that  it  amused  me  to  give  him  a  casual  little  friendly 
nod,  to  pay  him  back  for  the  royal  airs  he  and  his  wife  had 
put  on  in  Poland. 

The  emperor's  table  was  in  the  shape  of  an  oblong.  The 
empress  and  her  uncle,  both  dumb  figures,  occupied  one  of 
the  sides.  Napoleon,  opposite  them,  was  between  two 
empty  places.  The  Princess  Borghese  and  myself  were  at 
one  end  of  the  rectangle,  and  M.  de  Montalivet  at  the  other. 
The  emperor  thus  habitually  had  dinner  at  the  table  of  the 
minister  with  whom  he  had  been  at  work  in  the  morning, 
in  order  to  continue  the  conversation  on  subjects  which, 
though  of  lesser  importance,  were  nevertheless  connected 
with  the  day's  task. 

We  were  at  the  close  of  the  month  of  June ;  the  sun  was 
darting  his  rays  through  the  foliage,  but  in  spite  of  the 
brightness  the  candlesticks  were  all  lit  and  the  windows 
opened.  This  double  daylight  made  a  not  at  all  pleasant 
result.  It  was  a  queer  whim,  was  that.  I  was  assured 
that  the  emperor  never  dined  otherwise.  A  page  stood  be- 
hind his  chair,  a  napkin  in  his  hand;  this  page  attempted 
to  present  a  plate,  but  Napoleon  would  not  allow  it;  a  table 
ofificer-in-waiting  performed  that  function. 

The  service  proceeded  with  great  rapidity.  You  would 
have  said  it  was  in  the  hands  of  sylphs,  so  deep  was  the 
silence. 

Napoleon  was  in  the  habit  of  eating  fast  and  very  little; 
the  plainest  dishes  were  those  he  preferred.  About  the 


172 


MEMOIRS    OF    THE 


middle  of  dinner  a  flat  plate  of  peppered  artichokes  was 
offered  the  emperor :  he  laughed,  and  proposed  to  share  his 
modest  repast  with  us,  eulogising  this  hermit's  food  highly. 
But  as  no  one  seemed  tempted  to  partake  of  it,  he  ordered 
the  plate  to  be  put  before  him,  and  left  not  a  scrap. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  empress,  much  engrossed  by  the 
dishes  offered  her,  did  not  refuse  one,  and  appeared  an- 
noyed at  the  rapidity  with  which  they  followed  one  another. 
Towards  the  end  of  the  meal  the  emperor  finally  broke  the 
silence,  and,  accosting  M.  de  Montalivet,  he  questioned  him 
as  to  the  work  undertaken  at  the  palace  of  Versailles,  the 
restoration  of  which  had  been  begun. 

"I  wish,"  said  he,  "to  entertain  the  Parisians  as  in  days 
gone  by — the  fountains  must  play  every  Sunday.  But  is  it 
true  that  under  Louis  XVI.  that  amusement  cost  a  hun- 
dred thousand  francs  each  time?" 

Upon  the  minister's  response  in  the  affirmative,  Napoleon 
exclaimed : 

"It  is  a  great  deal  for  going  to  see  fountains.  Well !  If 
I  refuse  the  idlers  of  Paris  this  pleasure,  who  think  more 
of  amusement  than  of  anything  else,  they  will  not  under- 
stand that  it  is  in  order  to  make  better  use  of  such  a  large 
sum." 

While  speaking  of  the  gardens  of  the  royal  residence,  and 
of  their  size,  he  made  an  effort  to  recall  the  name  of  the 
famous  Lenotre,  who  had  laid  them  out. 

By  a  curious  chance  M.  de  Montalivet  did  not  remember 
the  name,  and  both  were  provoked  without  profit. 

I  ventured  to  whisper  it  into  Princess  Borghese's  ear,  who 
repeated  it  aloud. 

"Ah !"  said  Napoleon,  "that's  not  yours — not  it !  I  would 
wager  you  did  not  know  Lenotre  had  ever  existed — he  did 
not  die  in  your  day!" 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  173 

Then  he  threw  me  a  charming  look. 

We  were  about  to  rise  from  table  when  the  chamberlain 
came  to  apprise  the  emperor  that  the  Viceroy  of  Italy  was 
awaiting  him  in  the  gardens.  He  got  up  precipitately,  with- 
out allowing  Marie-Louise  time  to  finish  her  ice,  which  so 
put  her  out  that  she  could  not  desist  from  complaining  of 
it  to  her  uncle.  Having  returned  to  the  drawing-room, 
whither  the  two  ladies-in-waiting  had  preceded  us,  we  found 
the  large  windows  open ;  the  view  from  them  was  down  the 
chief  avenue  of  the  park. 

Prince  Eugene  was  walking  up  and  down  there  in  ex- 
treme agitation;  as  soon  as  Napoleon  caught  sight  of  him 
he  went  to  meet  him. 

To  judge  by  the  vivacity  of  their  conversation,  their  sub- 
ject must  have  been  a  most  serious  one.  The  emperor  ges- 
ticulated like  a  true  Corsican;  the  prince  seemed  to  try  to 
pacify  him;  it  was  easily  seen  that  Napoleon  was  not 
pleased.  The  voices  reached  us  sometimes,  but  the  wind 
scattered  the  words. 

In  the  drawing-room  the  silence  was  only  interrupted  by 
some  commonplaces  which  M.  de  Montalivet  felt  it  incum- 
bent to  address  us  with,  so  as  not  to  appear  to  be  listening 
to  the  conversation  which  was  taking  place  outside. 

The  empress  proffered  not  a  word;  seated  by  her  uncle, 
who  encouraged  her  to  absolute  silence,  she  looked  aimlessly 
out  of  the  window,  without  paying  the  least  attention  to 
what  was  happening  in  the  park,  where  the  more  and  more 
heated  conversation  was  still  continuing. 

As  everything  eventually  became  public — above  all,  at 
the  court,  where  so  many  eyes  and  ears  are  open  to  see  and 
hear  everything — we  learnt  soon  after  what  the  reason  of 
the  storm  had  been. 

The  viceroy,  commissioned  by  his  brother,  the  King  of 


174  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

Holland,  to  announce  his  resignation  of  the  throne  to  the 
emperor,  had  carried  through  his  delicate  mission,  and  had 
probably  attempted  to  make  excuses  for  his  brother-in-law. 

At  last  Napoleon  entered  the  drawing-room ;  his  face  was 
stern,  but  calm;  he  went  straight  to  M.  de  Montalivet  and 
notified  him  that  the  next  day,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  would  repair  to  the  Petit  Trianon,  and  that  arrange- 
ments were  to  be  made  for  the  young  sovereign.  Marie- 
Louise  at  once  begged  permission  to  be  of  the  party,  promis- 
ing not  to  keep  any  one  waiting,  and  to  be  ready  at  the 
hour  mentioned. 

The  emperor  declined,  with  kindness,  alleging  that,  in 
the  state  she  was  in,  every  kind  of  exertion  must  be  avoided. 
To  lend  weight  to  his  refusal  he  consulted  the  Duchess  of 
Montebello,  who  arrayed  herself  on  his  side.  Marie-Louise, 
like  a  spoiled  child,  would  still  not  take  the  refusal;  she 
kept  on  insisting,  stating  that  the  doctor  had  ordered  her 
to  take  exercise.  While  coaxing  her  husband  in  the  hope 
of  obtaining  what  she  desired,  she  put  her  hand  on  his  shoul- 
der ;  this  familiarity  before  others  apparently  displeased  Na- 
poleon. He  gently  removed  his  young  wife's  hand,  not 
without  having  pressed  it  affectionately. 

The  emperor,  having  drawn  me  into  the  recess  of  a  win- 
dow, asked  me  what  news  I  was  in  receipt  of  from  Poland, 
and  whether  it  was  true  that  Emperor  Alexander  threatened 
those  of  his  subjects  with  confiscation  who  did  not  return 
under  his  flag. 

Having  that  morning  received  a  letter  from  my  father-in- 
law,  I  found  occasion  to  confirm  a  fact  which  the  emperor 
seemed  inclined  to  doubt.  I  spoke  of  the  necessity  of  has- 
tening my  return. 

"Do  not  be  alarmed,"  he  said  to  me,  with  that  gracious 
smile  quite  his  own;  "enjoy  yourself,  and  do  not  think  of 
packing  up  yet." 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  175 

It  was  thus  that  haphazard  phrases  forewarned  us  of  the 
war  with  Russia,  of  which  no  one  as  yet  ventured  to  speak, 
but  which  every  one  looked  upon  as  inevitable,  seeing  the 
tremendous  preparations,  whose  object,  however,  was  not 
divulged. 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  bring  you  back  from  India?" 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  personages  of  the  period 
asked  me. 

"From  Moscow  or  St.  Petersburg?"  answered  I,  with  the 
aim  of  probing  his  thoughts. 

"Oh,  we  may  possibly  pass  that  way,  but  I  imagine  you 
would  like  some  rarer  booty.  We  have  saluted  the  Pyra- 
mids; it  would  be  the  right  thing  now  to  go  and  see  what 
our  rivals  beyond  the  sea  are  about." 

Everything  I  now  record  will  some  day  look  as  if  bor- 
rowed from  the  "Arabian  Nights'  Tales,"  and  yet  I  have 
made  it  a  law  to  myself  to  swerve  from  the  strictest  truth  in 
nothing;  but  people  were  so  used  to  wonders  that  the 
marvellous  seemed  possible,  and  the  impossible  practicable. 

I  return  to  that  day  at  Saint-Cloud,  which  takes  up  much 
room  in  my  memory,  and  which  concluded  with  a  delightful 
performance.  Talma  played  Manlius.  It  was  truly  the 
triumph  of  this  admirable  actor,  who  to  the  beauty  of  his 
voice  joined  nobility  of  pose  and  gesture,  and  a  rare  regu- 
larity of  feature.  When  he  wreathed  his  head  with  the 
laurel  crown  you  would  have  said  he  was  an  ancient  tri- 
umphator  going  to  take  his  place  in  a  chariot  drawn  by 
slaves.  The  actor  was  forgotten ;  only  the  hero  was  visible. 
What  was  extraordinary  about  him  was  his  great  resem- 
blance to  Napoleon,  principally  in  profile.  They  might  have 
been  taken  for  two  brothers;  only  their  gaze  differed:  one 
was  deep,  the  other  of  assumed  gravity. 

Paris  rushed  there  in  crowds.  The  theatre  was  not  spa- 
cious; a  thousand  intrigues  were  woven  to  obtain  a  seat. 


iy6  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

The  emperor  himself  disposed  of  the  boxes;  the  tickets  for 
the  floor  and  balconies  were  distributed  by  the  high  officers 
of  the  court.  My  ticket  admitted  me  to  the  foreign  minis- 
ters' box,  immediately  adjoining  the  imperial  box.  Two 
equally  interesting  performances  were  thus  to  be  enjoyed  at 
the  same  time. 

Napoleon,  who  loved  fine  verse,  at  times  appeared  desirous 
of  making  the  young  empress  share  in  his  enthusiasm,  if  not 
in  his  satisfaction.  Sitting  rigid  in  her  armchair  with 
gilded  eagles,  she  let  her  eyes  wander  about  the  theatre,  only 
turning  them  upon  the  stage  for  short  intervals,  and  when 
she  was,  so  to  speak,  forced  to  it  by  the  emperor's  applause. 
He  supported  the  apathetic  indifference  of  his  companion 
with  exceptional  patience. 

The  piece  over,  about  eleven  o'clock,  Their  Majesties 
bowed  to  us  and  retired. 

At  once  the  road  to  Paris,  gorgeously  lighted,  shook 
under  the  swift  course  of  the  carriages  of  all  who  had  seen 
this  doubly  royal  play,  so  perfect  was  Talma's  acting.  Thus 
ended  that  brilliant  day,  which  had  as  its  sequel  the  most 
absurd  occurrences. 

M.  de  Talleyrand,  who  had  not  thought  of  calling  upon 
me,  and  who  up  to  then  had  deemed  it  sufficient  to  deposit  a 
card  with  my  porter,  came  the  next  day  in  quest  of  details  of 
the  dinner  of  the  day  before.  He  questioned  me  most 
adroitly  on  what  I  had  seen  and  heard ;  I  limited  myself  to 
telling  him  what  he  very  probably  already  knew.  Contrary 
to  his  habit,  he  was  extremely  amiable ;  he  spoke  in  terms  of 
high  eulogy  of  Poland,  and  finally  requested  my  company  at 
lunch  in  his  library.  I  eagerly  accepted  the  invitation,  and, 
as  it  is  my  purpose  never  to  say  anything  but  the  truth,  I 
must  admit  that  I  never  spent  a  morning  more  delightfully. 
M.  de  Talleyrand  did  the  honours  of  his  curiosities.  It  was 
natural  to  find  the  handsomest  and  rarest  editions  collected 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  177 

by  a  fancier  worth  millions.  However,  nothing  was  com- 
parable to  the  way  he  showed  his  books ;  he  never  said  any- 
thing one  might  possibly  know,  nor  anything  that  others  had 
already  said  or  written;  he  talked  very  little  about  himself 
and  a  great  deal  about  the  distinguished  people  with  whom 
he  had  relations.  In  a  word,  he  was  as  well  informed  as  a 
grandee  who  devotes  a  lot  of  time  to  his  pleasures  could  be. 
To  complete  this  flattering  picture,  which  yet  does  not 
flatter,  I  will  say  that  M.  de  Talleyrand  possessed  the^nirac- 
ulous  art  of  momentarily  throwing  his  past  into  oblivion 
when  he  spoke  of  the  present. 

My  door  was  besieged  by  visitors  of  all  kinds.  The  finest 
mansions  were  offered  me,  it  being  supposed  I  should  never 
leave  Paris  again.  There  were  even  persons  who  dared  to 
counsel  me  not  to  refuse  what  they  called  a  signal  favour.  I 
there  saw  laid  bare  all  the  baseness  and  corruption  of  the 
courtiers.  What  would  they  have  thought  had  they  been 
able  to  read  my  heart,  and  to  see  with  what  joy  I  would  have 
exchanged  the  position  they  assigned  me  for  an  obscure  life 
— like  that  which  I  had  been  leading  for  some  months ! 

Charles  de  F came  to  bid  me  farewell  at  the  moment 

I  least  expected  it.  Quite  approving  the  view  I  had  taken, 
he  suffered  from  it,  and  with  difficulty  forgave  me  what  he 
called  an  excess  of  goodness.  Too  perspicacious,  however, 
not  to  guess  and  understand  what  it  cost  me  to  resist  the 
liking  he  had  inspired  me  with,  he  vowed  an  esteem  and  an 
attachment  to  me  upon  which  I  shall  count  my  life  long.  I 
found  myself  free,  at  parting,  to  give  him  my  portrait,  with 
this  motto,  borrowed  from  the  poem  by  Legouve: 

She  is  less  than  a  mistress,  and  much  more  than  a  friend. 

The  thud  of  the  knocker  falling  on  the  door  of  my  house 
as  he  left  it  for  the  last  time  long  resounded  in  my  ears !  I 
heard  it  in  my  dreams ;  I  awoke  at  it  with  a  start !  Time  only 
quieted  that  painful  feeling;  it  was  but  by  degrees,  when  I 


178  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

was  back  with  my  children,  that  the  sentiment  of  respect  and 
gratitude  dedicated  to  my  friend,  which  had  given  me  up  to 
the  most  sacred  duties,  conquered  memories  at  once  sad  and 
sweet. 

I  left  Paris  without  reluctance;  that  town  had  witnessed 
my  first  sorrows — sorrows  that  one  considers  misfortunes 
before  one  has  experienced  worse,  irreparable. 


PART  THE  FOURTH 
THE  GRAND  DUCHY  OF  WARSAW 


CHAPTER  I 

BIGNON 
1811-1812 

BIRTH  OF  COUNT  MAURICE  POTOCKI — THE  COURT  OF  FRED- 
ERIC  AUGUSTUS M.    DE   SERRA PRINCE   JOSEPH    PONIA- 

TOWSKI BIRTH  OF  THE  KING  OF  ROME ENTHUSIASM  OF 

THE  POLES — PRINCE  PONIATOWSKI  GOES  TO  PARIS — PAU- 
LINE BORGHESE — M.  BIGNON. 

A  GREAT  joy  came  to  me  in  the  course  of  the  winter,  and 
that  joy  caused  me  to  lose  sight,  for  a  moment,  of  po- 
litical occurrences.  The  I3th  of  January  (1812),  at  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  brought  the  son  into  the  world  who 
had  been  announced  to  me  by  the  little  soothsayer.  He  was 
born  under  the  circumstances  predicted. 

For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  experienced  the  desire  of 
having  a  royal  godfather  for  one  of  my  children !  I  enter- 
tained the  flattering  idea  of  asking  this  favour  of  the  great 
Napoleon,  who  was  to  resuscitate  Poland. 

I  therefore  merely  gave  my  son  a  private  baptism,  and  he 
received  the  name — I  hardly  know  why — of  Maurice.  Dear 
child,  how  pretty  and  good  you  were!  Neither  tears  nor 
screams  ever  disfigured  your  fresh,  chubby  face;  you  were 
your  mother's  love  and  the  delight  of  the  house;  you  were 

181 


1 82  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

adored  by  every  one.  I  still  have  to  thank  you  for  the  happi- 
ness you  gave  me. 

When  I  returned  to  Poland  we  belonged  to  the  King  of 
Saxony,  to  whom  Napoleon  had  given  us,  or  rather,  annexed 
us,  scarcely  knowing  how  to  dispose  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of 
Warsaw,  which  he  had  casually  organised,  leaving  the  care 
of  its  advancement  to  time  and  events. 

This  creation  of  the  Duchy  of  Warsaw  was  our  bright  star 
of  hope. 

In  default  of  a  better,  we  had  a  sovereign  of  rare  good- 
ness, who  concerned  himself  about  his  country's  welfare 
with  a  wise  and  paternal  solicitude.  The  king  and  queen, 
already  advanced  in  years,  were,  in  truth,  surrounded  by  a 
court  nearly  as  somnolent  and  superannuated  as  that  in 
Beauty  and  the  Beast.  You  would  have  said  all  the  wheels 
had  stopped  a  hundred  years  ago.  At  this  court  at  least 
sound  principles  were  to  be  found,  a  disinterestedness  which 
did  not  quite  belong  to  the  age,  and  manners  that  were  cul- 
tivated and  elaborate  to  excess. 

The  form  of  government  instituted  by  Napoleon  very 
closely  resembled  that  of  all  the  Rhenish  countries.  We  had 
a  council,  composed  of  seven  ministers  and  a  president.  This 
heptarchy,  to  all  appearances  entirely  national,  was  in  reality 
subject  to  the  influence  of  the  French  resident,  a  veritable 
proconsul,  who  exercised  an  almost  boundless  power.  But 
in  exceptional  cases  it  was  allowable  to  appeal  to  the  em- 
peror himself  through  the  agency  of  the  ministerial  secretary 
of  state  resident,  attached  to  the  crown,  and  solely  charged 
with  matters  relating  to  the  grand  duchy. 

At  the  time  of  my  arrival  the  French  resident  was  M.  de 
Serra,  a  Genoese  nobleman,  rather  stiff  and  narrow,  a  great 
Latinist,  according  to  scholars,  but  only  little  versed  in  the 
art  of  conversation,  possessing  neither  the  qualities  nor  the 
faults  peculiar  to  the  nation  he  represented.  He  was  uni- 
versally esteemed,  but  not  liked.  Bitter  in  argument,  he 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  183 

brought  the  iron  will  to  bear  on  it  which  he  had  been  advised 
to  assume  as  a  means  of  success  in  the  service  of  an  absolute 
master.  Often  my  father-in-law,  who  was  President  of  the 
Council,  came  back  from  a  meeting  in  despair  over  the  de- 
mands of  M.  de  Serra.  In  vain  the  attempt  was  made  to 
demonstrate  to  him  that  the  country,  drained  by  the  expen- 
ditures forced  upon  it  through  the  long  stay  of  the  army, 
was  now  empty  of  resources.  He  would  listen  to  nothing; 
he  answered  objections  by  saying:  "It  must  be  done  neverthe- 
less, gentlemen,  and  it  will  be,  for  the  emperor  demands  it." 
In  sheer  hopelessness  we  addressed  ourselves  to  the  supreme 
master,  who  caused  some  funds  to  be  advanced,  and  ordered 
the  resident  to  temporise,  without  however  yielding. 

At  the  bottom  of  his  heart,  M.  de  Serra  did  not  like  Na- 
poleon. He  sometimes  disclosed  his  feelings  to  those  of  the 
ministers  of  whose  discretion  he  was  certain,  but  these  senti- 
ments in  no  wise  diminished  the  zeal  he  applied  to  the  exe- 
cution of  the  orders  sent  from  Paris. 

The  emperor  had  restored  us  our  national  flag,  our  lan- 
guage, our  institutions,  and  our  army,  whose  commander  was 
Prince  Poniatowski.  Never  was  a  man  worthier  than  Prince 
Joseph  to  lead  the  fifty  thousand  braves  who  were  already 
serving  under  him.  Worshipped  by  the  soldiers,  whose 
perils  and  fatigues  he  shared,  he  could  obtain  from  them  at 
the  slightest  sign  what  others  secured  by  means  of  severe 
discipline. 

His  character  presented  curious  contrasts.  Suppressed 
at  home,  and  gladly  yielding  for  peace's  sake,  when  neces- 
sary he  found  the  virile  energy  required  by  the  many  diffi- 
culties besetting  his  path  through  life.  From  that  moment 
the  private  individual  disappeared,  and  made  room  for  the 
public  man,  wholly  devoted  to  the  honour  of  his  country. 
What  was  most  astounding  in  this  mixture  of  heroism  and 
debility  was  that  selfishness  was  never  the  motive  of  any  of 
his  actions;  no  man  was  ever  more  free  from  vanity.  Per- 


1 84  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

haps  history  may  even  reproach  him  for  the  entire  absence 
of  that  imperfection;  the  exceptional  position  in  which  he 
was  placed  might  have  urged  him  to  aspire  to  the  throne, 
and  thus  assure  his  country's  welfare.  Yet  his  noble  senti- 
ments, his  splendid  valour,  and  his  glorious  death  have  made 
a  hero  of  him  whose  sacred  name  will  remain  dear  to  his 
fatherland  forever. 

The  letters  from  Paris  contained  nothing  but  accounts 
of  the  gorgeous  festivities  held  on  the  occasion  of  the  young 
sovereign's  confinement,  who,  in  bringing  the  earnestly 
wished-for  son  into  the  world,  had  fulfilled  her  husband's 
hopes,  and  firmly  established  the  imperial  throne.  That, 
surely,  was  the  most  brilliant  epoch  of  Napoleon's  career; 
every  one  about  him  reflected,  so  to  speak,  his  good  fortune. 
There  were  nothing  but  parties  and  fancy-dress  balls,  to 
which  all  the  gods  of  Olympus  found  themselves  invited. 
The  Queen  of  Naples  appeared  as  Minerva,  and  her  sister, 
the  lovely  Pauline,  as  Venus. 

For  a  long  time  the  army  had  not  enjoyed  such  a  pro- 
longed truce.  The  presence  of  all  this  brilliant  youth,  eager 
for  pleasure  as  well  as  for  rest,  lent  the  festivities  of  all  kinds 
a  new  lustre.  But  in  the  midst  of  this  general  intoxication 
mysterious  utterances  were  heard,  and  there  began  to  be  no 
further  doubt  of  war — of  that  war  in  which  Napoleon  was 
to  lose  his  name  and  his  empire,  and  which  he  wanted,  like 
Xerxes,  to  conduct  at  the  head  of  a  hundred  different  peo- 
ples. The  time  was  consumed  in  diplomatic  negotiations. 

Napoleon  insisted  that  the  Emperor  Alexander  sacrifice 
England  to  him.  While  gauging  the  danger  of  opposition, 
that  prince  could  not  resolve  upon  a  change  of  policy,  and 
temporised,  assisted  by  the  conciliating  spirit  of  M.  de  Cau- 
laincourt,  the  French  Ambassador,  who,  greatly  taken  with 
the  noble  character  of  the  autocrat,  and  the  confidence  he 
displayed  in  him,  held  back  his  master's  thunderbolts. 


FREDERICK  AUGUSTUS,  KING  OF  SAXONY. 

From  an  engraving  by  Mcchel  of  Graff' s  painting  in  f7<?o. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  185 

Prince  Poniatowski,  sent  by  the  King  of  Saxony  and  the 
government  to  express  to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  the  share 
of  rejoicing  the  nation  took  in  the  birth  of  this  ardently 
longed-for  heir,  brought  back  nothing  positive  from  Paris 
on  the  subject  of  the  war.  The  court  was  engaged  in  fes- 
tivities, and  if  some  sad  minds  predicted  an  enterprise  as 
perilous  as  it  would  be  gigantic,  they  were  not  listened  to, 
for  the  emperor  was  still  silent.  The  prince  was  received 
with  rare  civility;  he  was  given  a  most  flattering  reception. 
His  handsome  and  noble  figure  brought  him  all  manner  of 
successes;  the  adorable  Pauline  did  not  show  herself  indif- 
ferent to  the  hero,  and  he  was  able  to  inscribe  another  vic- 
tory in  the  notebook  of  his  gallantry. 

All  of  a  sudden  M.  de  Serra  was  ordered  to  Dresden,  and 
was  replaced  in  Warsaw  by  M.  Bignon.  We  never  knew 
the  reason  of  this  change,  and  M.  de  Serra  himself  claimed 
not  to  know ;  however  that  may  be,  death  was  awaiting  him 
at  Dresden.  M.  Bignon  took  his  place  to  the  great  satis- 
faction of  the  council,  seeing  that  he  understood  things 
better,  and  was  not  so  desirous  of  pleasing  the  master. 

As  to  society,  it  was  less  delighted ;  we  did  not  know  how 
to  value  the  new  envoy  as  he  deserved.  But  M.  Bignon, 
too,  would  wear  a  mask  at  pleasure,  and  it  would  have  been 
very  hard  to  suspect,  under  this  middle-class,  common 
exterior,  the  superiority  and  talents  of  which  he  afterwards 
gave  astonishing  proofs. 

Condemned  by  his  position  to  keep  open  house,  he  did  the 
honours  at  home  in  a  very  awkward  way.  I  must  reproach 
myself  with  having  laughed  at  it  more  than  once. 

He  dished  us  up  one  single,  solitary  sentence,  which  he 
modulated  in  all  tones,  probably  supposing  it  to  be  within 
our  reach  more  than  any  other.  It  was  always : 

"Is  it  possible  that  you  are  in  this  little  corner?  Who 
would  have  thought  you  would  take  such  a  bad  place  as  this 


1 86  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

little  corner !  Since  I  find  you  in  this  little  corner,  may  I  be 
permitted  to  come  and  share  your  isolation  occasionally? 
Ah,  there  you  are  in  your  little  corner!  How  wrong  to 
hide  like  this!  You  have  chosen  that  place  to  make  your 
little  observations,  and  to  make  fun  of  us  from  that  little 
corner !" 

And  whether  you  were  in  the  very  midst  of  the  most 
brilliant  circle,  or  on  the  solitary  sofa  of  a  German  dowager, 
everything  became  the  ''little  corner"  for  M.  Bignon!  If 
sometimes  the  avocations  of  master  of  the  house  left  him 
no  time  to  deliver  himself  of  long  periphrases,  in  passing 
he  would  let  fall  a  bantering  or  respectful  word,  according 
to  the  person. 

But  who  would  have  thought  that,  a  few  years  later,  this 
extremely  limited  person  was  to  become  the  most  convincing 
orator,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  publicists,  the  writer  to 
whom  Napoleon  was  one  day  to  confide  the  task  of  trans- 
mitting his  wonderful  history  to  posterity?  Who  would 
have  thought  then  that  M.  Bignon  was  a  superior  man, 
whose  speeches  in  Parliament  would  justly  be  the  admir- 
ation of  his  countrymen?  Who  would  have  thought  he 
would  with  such  eloquence  defend  the  sacred  cause  we  were 
pleading  before  the  tribunal  of  Europe,  and  that  his  noble 
example  would  arouse  countless  emulators? 

If  the  lightness  of  our  judgment  sometimes  makes  us 
unjust,  it  never  makes  us  ungrateful,  and  M.  Bignon  has  left 
imperishable  gratitude  in  the  hearts  of  the  Poles.  I  admit, 
that  from  my  point  of  view  the  change  seemed  extraordi- 
nary. I  learnt,  on  this  occasion,  that  one  must  beware  of 
judging  a  statesman  in  a  saloon,  particularly  if  he  was  not 
born  there.  That  was  the  secret  of  M.  Bignon's  vulgarity. 
In  the  council  he  was  preferred  to  the  noble  M.  de  Serra, 
although  his  great  merits  were  far  from  being  recognised. 


CHAPTER  II 

PRELIMINARIES  TO  THE  RUSSIAN  CAMPAIGN 

1812 

DECLARATION  OF  WAR — THE  POLISH  ARMY — NAPOLEON  AND 

FRANCIS    AT    DRESDEN MARIE-LOUISE    AND    BEATRICE 

D'ESTE — THE  CONFEDERATE  DIET — THE  ARCHBISHOP  OF 

MALINES THE   DUKE  DE   BROGLIE M.   D'ANDRE THE 

AMBASSADOR'S  AVARICE — PRINCE  CZARTORYSKI,  MARSHAL 
OF  THE  DIET — MATUSZEWICZ — PRINCE  ADAM — PRINCE 
CZARTORYSKI'S  SPEECH THE  COCKADES. 

IN  the  spring  of  1812  war  was  at  length  declared,  and  we 
saw  Europe  shake  under  the  victorious  eagles  of  Napoleon. 
Counting  the  nations  that  marched  behind  the  French  stand- 
ards, the  most  skeptical  did  not  venture  to  doubt  the  success 
of  this  audacious  undertaking.  Who  could  resist  such  num- 
bers, commanded  by  such  a  man?  And  the  Poles  hoped  to 
see  their  country  born  anew  to  greatness  and  power,  as,  in 
fact,  it  ought  to  have  been,  to  fight  the  enemies  of  its  liber- 
ator and  form  the  bulwark  of  civilisation.  A  word  from 
him  who  ruled  the  destinies  of  the  world  would  have  tripled 
our  strength,  insured  his  victory,  or  at  least  covered  his 
retreat.  Why  did  he  not  speak  that  magic  word,  which, 
guaranteeing  us  our  safety,  would  have  spared  him  unnam- 
able  disaster  ? 

As  soon  as  the  news  of  the  war  was  noised  about  the  coun- 

187 


1 88  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

try,  the  young  men  ran  to  arms  from  every  side,  even  before 
being  called  out.  Neither  Russia's  threats  nor  the  reasoning 
and  fears  of  parents  were  able  to  stanch  this  patriotic  rush ; 
it  was  the  same  enthusiasm  and  the  same  devotion  as  in 
1806,  but  there  was  one  degree  more  of  confidence. 

A  new  generation  took  the  place  of  that  which,  in  part, 
had  disappeared  from  the  ranks  of  the  French  army.  Chil- 
dren listened  with  feverish  curiosity  to  the  tales  of  their 
elders,  and  burned  with  martial  ardour.  The  hope  of  re- 
turning victorious  urged  them  to  heroic  deeds.  Soldiers 
scarcely  adult  were  the  admiration  of  old  grenadiers.  Those 
who  wore  no  uniform  did  not  dare  show  themselves  in  the 
streets,  for  they  risked  being  insulted  by  the  street-boys. 

I  am  not  very  old  yet,  and  three  times  have  I  already  seen 
these  wonders  of  heroism  occur!  In  the  space  of  forty 
years  we  made  these  generous  efforts  three  times,  all  the 
worthier  of  admiration  since  among  sober  people  few  illu- 
sions and  little  hope  prevailed. 

Napoleon  left  Paris  the  loth  of  December  in  the  company 
of  Marie-Louise,  who  wanted  to  take  him  back  as  far  as 
Dresden.  Emperor  Francis  joined  them  there,  also  accom- 
panied by  his  young  spouse,  Beatrice  of  Este,  the  last  scion 
of  that  illustrious  race  to  which  so  many  historical  traditions 
and  romantic  memories  attach.  This  princess,  sacrificed  as 
those  usually  are  whose  fate  is  regulated  by  politics,  was 
neither  known  nor  appreciated  in  the  court  where  she  soon 
faded  away  for  want  of  air. 

On  the  occasion  of  this  meeting  a  rivalry  was  established 
between  the  empresses.  Marie-Louise  was  unable  to  com- 
prehend any  kind  of  greatness  but  her  own  splendid  position; 
she  tried  to  crush  her  mother-in-law  with  her  magnificence, 
and  overwhelm  her  with  the  costliest  presents.  But  Aus- 
trian pride  would  not  brook  it ;  the  two  princesses  left  each 
other  with  a  coldness  between  them. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  189 

Marie-Louise  shed  floods  of  tears  at  separating  from  her 
husband.  You  would  have  said  she  had  a  presentiment 
that  this  farewell  was  to  be  the  last,  and  that  henceforth  his- 
tory would  only  mention  her  name  with  the  displeasure  her 
wretched  behaviour  drew  upon  her.  It  was  never  known 
exactly  what  passed  between  the  two  monarchs,  but  by 
the  manner  in  which  Napoleon  left  his  father-in-law  the 
hope  was  allowable  that  they  had  entered  upon  an  offensive 
and  defensive  alliance. 

An  adept  at  playing  upon  the  passions  which  were  to  serve 
his  purpose,  the  emperor  neglected  nothing  which  might 
flatter  the  Poles  and  carry  their  enthusiasm  to  the  utmost 
limits  of  the  possible;  he,  however,  allowed  them  to  hope  for 
everything  without  ever  committing  himself  by  hasty  prom- 
ises. M.  de  Bignon  was  ordered  to  inquire  minutely  into 
national  traditions,  and  to  ascertain  in  what  way  popular 
uprisings  had  formerly  been  brought  about  at  the  approach 
of  an  enemy. 

For  this  purpose  a  confederate  diet  was  convoked,  and  an 
ambassador  was  sent  us  from  France,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
watch  what  happened  at  important  junctures.' 

All  of  these  demonstrations  had  the  object  of  frightening 
Russia,  by  making  the  echo  of  our  hopes  heard  in  the  re- 
motest provinces  she  had  captured  from  us. 

We  saw  M.  de  Pradt  arrive,  with  all  the  pomp  befitting 
the  representative  of  a  great  nation  and  a  powerful  monarch. 

But  how  small  and  vulgar  he  appeared  to  us  in  the  midst 
of  the  glories  in  which  he  rejoiced  in  a  haughty,  and  at  the 
same  time  sordid,  manner!  Talking  incessantly  of  his 
household  affairs,  of  his  cook,  whom  he  was  going  to  send 
for,  "seeing  she  was  economical  and  accomplished,"  scolding 
all  his  servants  aloud,  going  to  see  his  horses  groomed, 
jabbering  incessantly,  untiringly  telling  anecdotes  everybody 
knew,  affecting  a  laugh  at  noble  and  enthusiastic  sentiments 


190  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

he  did  not  understand,  deficient  in  dignity  of  deportment 
and  in  tactfulness  of  discourse — such  was  M.  de  Pradt. 

In  any  other  country,  and  above  all  under  other  condi- 
tions, he  would  have  proved  a  complete  failure;  but  the 
Poles  saw  in  Monsignor  the  Archbishop  of  Malines  only  him 
who  sent  him,  him  whose  mighty  arm  alone  could  help 
Poland  to  lift  herself  up  again.  We  were,  however,  none  the 
less  surprised  at  this  choice,  which  nothing  justified,  not  even 
politeness.  M.  de  Pradt  was  so  entirely  unfit  to  manage 
anything  whatever,  that  he  relied  completely  on  a  certain 
M.  d'Andre.  He  was  only  to  be  met  at  the  ambassador's 
great  dinners,  where,  humbly  seated  at  the  bottom  of  the 
table,  he  kept  his  capabilities  and  his  influence  hidden. 
Nevertheless  his  expressive  and  vivacious  countenance  was 
ill  designed  to  conceal  the  unpleasant  impression  that  the 
host's  merrymakers  created  in  him,  who  (the  host)  some- 
times gave  vent  to  a  joviality  befitting  neither  his  age  nor 
his  station.  The  worse  the  ambassador  seemed  to  us  suited 
for  the  mission  entrusted  to  him,  the  better  was  the  make-up 
of  the  embassy.  Among  the  most  noticeable  of  these  gen- 
tlemen, I  will  mention  the  Duke  de  Broglie,  still  very  young, 
but  who,  from  his  very  habit  of  eyeglassing  his  foot,  already 
exhibited  striking  talents,  and  who  enjoyed  a  sound  educa- 
tion combined  with  an  upright  character;  also  M.  de  Bre- 
vannes,  a  man  of  infinite  wit  and  good  sense,  faculties  rarely 
found  in  company.  He  was  suffering  from  aneurism  at  an 
advanced  stage;  his  health  often  made  him  gloomy  and 
meditative,  but  from  the  moment  his  disease  gave  him  a 
truce,  his  sallies  amused  the  whole  room.  I  have  scarcely 
ever  met  a  man  so  quietly  affable  and  witty.  There  was  also 
M.  de  Panat,  a  little  too  much  taken  up  with  his  own  very 
small  person  and  importance,  but  by  no  means  deficient  in 
parts  and  adroitness.  He  was,  I  believe,  the  labourer  of  the 
party.  And  finally  there  was  that  good  a<nd  worthy  M.  de 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  191 

Rumigny,  dear  to  the  memory  of  all  who  knew  him,  and 
who,  later,  as  Ambassador  to  Switzerland,  proved  the  pro- 
tector of  all  Poles  who  were  unfortunate. 

The  arrangements  in  the  Briihl  Palace,  which  had  been 
offered  the  ambassador,  were  not  entirely  completed,  for 
there  was  as  much  care  as  expense  being  lavished  on  it.  M. 
cle  Pradt,  unwilling  to  remain  in  the  hotel  he  had  come  to, 
knew  not  where  to  lodge.  To  hire  a  convenient  apartment 
temporarily  did  not  suit  My  Lord ;  he  was  economical,  and 
quite  determined  to  put  aside  all  he  could  save  out  of  the 
two  hundred  thousand  francs  fixed  by  the  emperor  as  the 
cost  of  representing  him.  Seeing  him  wrapped  up  in  such 
wretched  concerns  while  events  were  complicating  more 
and  more  and  claimed  the  ambassador's  full  attention,  my 
father-in-law  concluded  to  offer  him  the  apartment  Prince 
Murat  had  occupied.  It  was  thus  we  became  acquainted 
with  the  thousand  pettinesses  that  made  up  his  life,  and  it 
was  thus  we  learnt  to  judge  him. 

The  Polish  army,  already  up  to  its  full  complement, 
thanks  to  the  ardour  with  which  it  had  been  organised,  re- 
ceived marching  orders.  It  started,  including  the  most  bril- 
liant youth  in  its  ranks ;  not  one  historic  name  was  missing 
at  the  roll-call. 

We  were  all  confident  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise. 
But  too  many  private  misfortunes  were  to  be  dreaded  to 
render  possible  the  absence  of  cruel  fears ;  we  knew  that  all 
were  going  into  the  teeth  of  danger,  led  by  a  chief  who 
would  be  their  example  in  temerity. 

All  measures  having  been  taken,  the  emperor  announced 
that  he  wished  to  see  old  Prince  Czartoryski,  Prince  Adam's 
father,  promoted  to  the  dignity  of  Marshal  of  the  Diet. 

Matuszewicz,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  a  man  of  infinite 
cleverness  and  ability,  who  owed  the  old  prince  everything, 
repaired  to  Pulawy  to  persuade  his  protector  not  to  refuse  to 


192 


MEMOIRS    OF   THE 


associate  his  revered  name  with  this  most  important  event. 
People  spoke  of  the  effect  which  would  be  produced  all  over 
the  country  by  seeing,  at  the  head  of  the  signatures  affixed 
to  the  Federal  Act,  the  signature  of  a  universally  respected 
old  man,  whose  great  fortune,  age,  and  social  standing  made 
him  a  sort  of  patriarch,  and  with  whom  our  oldest  traditions 
were  connected. 

They  who  knew  the  emperor's  innermost  thoughts  as- 
serted that,  if  Napoleon  attached  such  great  importance  to 
the  nomination,  it  was  because  of  his  intention  to  put  up  the 
father's  name  against  the  son's.  Bound  to  the  Czar  by  a 
deep  affection,  seduced  by  promises  which  then  perhaps  were 
not  illusive,  Prince  Adam  was  expecting  from  Alexander 
the  same  Poland  that  we  thought  only  to  gain  by  the  vic- 
torious arms  of  the  Emperor  of  the  French.  Ardently  pur- 
suing this  chimera,  the  sole  passion  of  his  noble  life,  Adam 
Czartoryski  served  the  autocrat  faithfully,  and  declined  to 
see  in  Napoleon's  demonstrations  anything  but  the  means 
suitable  for  favouring  ambitious  plans. 

I  shall  never  forget  how,  one  day,  after  discussing  these 
two  opinions  at  length,  of  which  one  had  become  a  convic- 
tion with  him,  while  the  other  was  my  own  hope  founded  on 
the  public  interest,  he  exclaimed,  with  the  most  generous 
enthusiasm : 

"If  the  future  should  prove  my  distrust  culpable,  I  would 
submit  to  banishment  from,  our  fatherland,  which  we  should 
owe  to  the  victor's  magnanimity,  without  a  murmur;  I 
would  raise  altars  to  him  in  the  very  desert  to  which  he  had 
exiled  me,  to  punish  myself  for  believing  in  Alexander's 
promises." 

The  old  prince,  not  sharing  his  son's  views,  or,  more  prop- 
erly speaking,  having  no  fixed  opinions  of  his  own  on  ac- 
count of  his  advanced  years  and  enfeebled  faculties,  ended 


M.  DE  PRADT. 

From  a  very  scarce  engraving'. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA 


193 


by  yielding  to  the  earnest  solicitations  of  Matuszewicz,  and 
came  to  Warsaw,  to  step  into  the  high  place  offered  him. 

Owing  to  unpardonable  imprudence  he  was  not  prevented 
from  appearing  in  his  Austrian  field  marshal's  uniform, 
the  uniform  he  habitually  wore.  The  sight  of  these  foreign 
colours  in  the  midst  of  an  assembly  of  patriots  with  reason 
shocked  the  representatives  of  the  country.  The  honour  of 
his  name  and  white  hair  diminished  considerably  in  this 
dress,  which  recalled  but  too  well  just  grievances  against 
Austria,  since  the  First  Partition,  and  since  Maria  Theresa's 
violent  spoliation. 

Unfortunately  this  was  not  the  only  fault  the  worthy  old 
man  was  guilty  of.  The  day  of  the  opening  of  the  Diet  he 
mixed  his  speech  with  a  tincture  of  superannuated  chivalry 
which  the  place  and  the  circumstances  repudiated. 

After  beginning  with  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the  noblest 
sentiments,  to  the  most  heroic  devotion,  to  the  most 
thorough  spirit  of  sacrifice,  he  addressed  the  ladies  filling 
the  galleries;  he  spoke  of  the  patriotism  which  wives, 
mothers,  and  sisters  ought  to  give  proof  of.  The  old  prin- 
cess and  her  daughters  were  in  the  place.  They  answered 
with  cheers  and  oaths  that  went  very  near  to  the  ridiculous. 
Cockades  of  the  national  colours,  ready  beforehand,  were 
thrown  and  distributed  among  the  whole  audience.  Sev- 
eral of  these  cockades  wrere  sent  to  headquarters  by  the 
courier  whom  the  ambassador  immediately  despatched,  to 
notify  the  emperor  of  the  effect  produced  by  the  opening 
of  the  Diet. 

This  gallantry,  which  partook  of  memories  of  the  past, 
and  this  feminine  patriotism,  in  a  parliamentary  chamber, 
could  not  but  seem  out  of  place,  and  sensible  people  regretted 
it.  The  prince,  with  his  name  and  his  eighty  years,  would 
have  made  a  sensation  in  far  greater  harmony  with  the  cir- 


I94  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

cumstances  if,  calling  the  Poles  to  arms,  he  had  been  satis- 
fied to  show  them  the  new  road  lying  open  before  them; 
there,  neither  theatrical  emotion  nor  noisy  demonstrations 
were  wanted.  Nothing  is  so  apt  to  move  men  as  elevated 
and  deep  sentiments  simply  expressed. 

The  ambassador  answered  the  marshal's  discourse  with 
such  ambiguous  diplomacy,  that  to  be  understood  his  reply 
would  have  needed  explanation,  and,  as  it  happens  in  such 
cases,  every  one  interpreted  it  after  his  own  fashion ;  people 
were  only  agreed  on  one  point,  which  was,  that  the  emperor 
was  still  unwilling  to  commit  himself  to  anything. 


CHAPTER  III 

DE  PRADT 
1812 

SMOLENSK — DEATH  OF  COUNT  GRABOWSKI — THE  FRENCH 

EMBASSY THE   KING  OF   WESTPHALIA   AT   WARSAW 

MADAME  WALEWSKA  AT  DE  PRADT's DINNER  IN  THE 

COUNTRY THE  GNATS M.  DE  BREVANNES'  IMPROMPTU 

— THE  AMBASSADOR'S  PRESENT. 

NAPOLEON  penetrated  as  far  as  Wilna  without  meeting  the 
least  resistance;  he  ought  to  have  guessed  that  the  enemy 
wished  to  draw  him  into  the  heart  of  Russia.  He  made  a 
stay  of  a  few  days  in  the  capital  of  Lithuania,  and  organised 
a  provisional  government  there  like  that  of  the  grand  duchy. 
M.  Bignon  was  entrusted  with  the  direction  of  this  new  em- 
bassy. From  Wilna,  Napoleon  marched  upon  Smolensk, 
having  echeloned  his  huge  army. 

After  every  passage  of  a  river  the  ambassador  received 
the  post  which  was  to  bear  the  bulletin  to  Paris  for  the 
Moniteur,  and  communicated  the  news  to  us.  The  public 
greeted  the  tidings  with  rapture,  the  town  was  gaily  illumin- 
ated, and  crowds  rushed  for  particulars,  which  had  the 
liveliest  interest  for  every  one  of  those  who  had  relations 
or  friends  with  the  army. 

'95 


196  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

The  first  important  bulletin  announced  the  taking  of 
Smolensk,  the  assault  of  which  the  emperor  had  led  in 
person.  The  Poles  there  performed,  as  they  did  everywhere, 
prodigies  of  valour.  At  Smolensk  the  victorious  army  was 
on  the  border  of  the  former  Poland ;  it  looked  as  though  the 
chief  difficulties  had  been  overcome.  The  Te  Deum  was  sung 
in  all  the  churches;  but  the  intoxication  of  victory  having 
made  room  for  the  most  natural  alarms,  inquiries  were  made 
about  the  inevitable  losses  to  be  mourned.  The  heroic  death 
of  General  Michael  Grabowski,  killed  at  the  moment  when, 
at  the  head  of  his  brigade,  he  dashed  first  on  the  ramparts  of 
the  town,  called  forth  the  deepest  sorrow,  and  for  the  mo- 
ment interrupted  the  demonstrations  of  joy.  He  was  one 
of  those  men  who,  though  young,  earn  every  one's  attach- 
ment. He  was  my  friend  Madame  de  Sobolewska's  brother ; 
I  saw  him  often.  His  poor  sister  persisted  in  disbelieving 
her  misfortune,  for  the  general's  body  had  not  been  found ; 
for  a  long  time  she  thought  her  brother  had  been  taken 
prisoner. 

No  sooner  had  the  ambassador  installed  himself  in  the 
Briihl  Palace,  which  had  then  been  handsomely  refurnished 
for  him,  than  he  announced  his  intention  of  receiving  once  a 
week,  and  letting  the  young  people  dance.  But  to  this  pro- 
ject a  great  difficulty  was  opposed :  excepting  the  young  men 
of  the  embassy,  there  was  not  a  single  person  in  the  whole 
town  of  the  right  age  to  waltz :  they  were  all  with  the  army ! 
So  we  had  to  relinquish  this  form  of  amusement.  More- 
over, the  ladies  living  in  retirement  in  the  surrounding- 
country  were  not  in  the  humour  to  yield  to  the  pressing 
invitations  of  His  Eminence,  as  they  were  anxiously  await- 
ing news  from  headquarters. 

The  first  parties  at  the  embassy,  too,  were  sad  and  dreary ; 
it  was  a  desert.  We  heard  that  the  emperor  had  detailed 
accounts  rendered  him  of  everything  that  happened  at  War- 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  197 

saw;  it  was  said  that  he  would  not  fail  to  be  shocked  at 
demonstrations  of  sadness — at  bottom  perhaps  justified,  but 
misplaced  considering  the  pleasant  arrangements  made  for 
us — and  so  the  ladies  were  obliged  to  show  themselves 
from  time  to  time. 

The  arrival  of  the  young  King  of  Westphalia  (Jerome 
Bonaparte)  put  a  little  life  into  the  town.  He  commanded 
a  reserve  corps;  he  had  been  ordered  to  join  the  emperor, 
but,  not  being  able  to  make  his  troops  move  as  quickly  as 
his  court,  he  was  compelled  to  stop  at  Warsaw.  It  was 
even  said  that,  being  easily  pleased  with  the  creatures  he 
made  his  intimates,  and  feeling  so  much  at  home  in  a  country 
where  the  beauty  of  the  women  is  neither  rare  nor  forbid- 
ding, the  ambassador  one  day  got  orders  to  make  him  leave. 
At  least  he  played  the  king  on  arriving;  announced  a  func- 
tion, and  said  he  would  receive  the  ladies  desirous  of  being 
presented  to  him.  This  seemed  entirely  out  of  place  in  a 
sovereign  of  twenty,  who  happened  to  be  passing  through, 
and  played  at  reigning  as  children  play  at  being  lady. 

There  was  thus  a  schism ;  some  went,  the  greater  number 
revolted  against  the  ambassador's  insinuations,  who  main- 
tained that  Napoleon's  brother  could  be  refused  nothing. 
The  prince  was  offended  at  the  lack  of  enthusiasm  expressed 
by  the  ladies ;  he  tried  to  give  a  ball,  but  the  same  obstacles 
which  had  hindered  M.  de  Pradt  presented  themselves. 

The  entertainments  were  restricted  to  rather  tedious  din- 
ners; etiquette,  observed  with  special  rigour,  excluded  the 
agreeable  men  whose  social  position  did  not  allow  them  to 
sit  down  in  the  king's  presence. 

We  could  not  reconcile  ourselves,  we  Poles,  to  these  im- 
perial exigencies — our  habits  were  too  republican. 

Jerome  has  been  wrongly  accused  of  being  without  ad- 
vantages; he  had  a  quick  and  just  mind.  With  a  touch 
more  of  the  legitimate  sovereign,  and  one  less  of  puerile 


198  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

vanity,  he  might  have  passed  for  a  distinguished  prince ;  but, 
being  a  spoilt  child  of  fortune,  he  used  and  abused  her 
bounty.  It  was  the  history  of  nearly  all  the  members  of 
that  family.  Each  of  them,  taken  individually,  possessed 
incontestable  qualities,  but  the  greatness  of  Napoleon  over- 
shadowed them.  None  but  absurdities  were  told  about  this 
young  king's  habits.  It  was  stated  that  every  morning  he 
took  a  rum  bath,  and  every  evening  a  milk  bath.  His  ser- 
vants, they  said,  put  the  liquor  in  bottles  and  sold  it  at  a 
rebate. 

He  pushed  elegance  so  far  that  he  never  wore  certain  of 
his  clothes  twice,  so  much  so  that  a  Parisian  hatter,  whom 
he  owed  a  considerable  sum,  brought  a  most  unpleasant  suit 
against  him.  The  emperor  would  never  hear  of  his  brother's 
debts — and  a  little  King  of  Westphalia  was  hardly  free  to 
do  things  so  grandly  without  making  trouble  for  his  budget. 

I  believe  that  at  the  embassy  they  were  relieved  to  see  him 
go  at  last;  but  another  visit  occurred  which  fully  exposed 
the  ambassador's  want  of  tact. 

Madame  Walewska,  urging  as  a  pretext  family  affairs 
which  demanded  her  presence,  arrived  at  Warsaw  in  the 
course  of  the  summer.  Nobody  was  deceived  by  this  sub- 
terfuge. As  she  had  never  given  much  attention  to  her 
private  affairs,  and  as  her  small  country-seat  was  in  the 
hands  of  a  steward,  it  was  easy  to  divine  that  the  hope  of 
being  called  to  headquarters  was  the  real  motive  of  the 
journey.  But  since  his  marriage  Napoleon  had  avoided 
every  appearance  of  fickleness. 

During  the  few  days  the  fair  one  passed  at  Warsaw, 
Monsignor  looked  upon  it  as  his  duty  to  treat  her  as  the 
fac-simile  of  an  empress.  She  had  the  preference  over  all 
the  ladies.  At  grand  dinners  she  was  always  served  first, 
occupied  the  seat  of  honour,  and  recieved  all  the  homage  and 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  199 

marks  of  respect.  This  visibly  shocked  the  elderly  dames 
and  irritated  their  husbands,  while  the  young  women,  care- 
less of  etiquette,  laughed  frankly  over  the  amorous  ecstasy 
with  which  Mdnsignor  the  Archbishop  eyeglassed  the  little 
countess'  pretty  arm  and  plump  white  hand. 

She  had  developed  exceedingly  during  her  sojourn  in 
France.  She  had  there  acquired  a  sort  of  modest  self-assur- 
ance difficult  to  maintain  in  her  equivocal  position.  Being 
obliged  to  circumvent  Marie-Louise,  who  was  supposed  to 
be  very  jealous,  Madame  Walewska  found  a  way,  in  Paris 
itself,  to  have  doubts  cast  on  the  continuation  of  the  secret 
relations  she  was  entertaining  with  the  emperor.  And  this 
is  the  only  one  of  Napoleon's  love  affairs  which  was  lasting. 
At  the  moment  his  fortunes  ceased  Madame  Walewska  felt 
at  liberty  to  unmask,  and  followed  the  emperor  to  the  Island 
of  Elba;  but  he  reproved  this  step,  and  the  friend  who  was 
true  in  misfortune  found  herself  removed,  out  of  consider- 
ation for  the  unfaithful  wife. 

M.  de  Pradt's  too  indiscreet  attentions  were  the  fault  of 
the  fair  one's  abrupt  departure  from  Warsaw;  she  was  evi- 
dently embarrassed,  and  preferred  to  shut  herself  up  in  her 
little  house,  where  she  awaited  the  issue  of  events. 

My  husband,  following  the  general  movement,  had  gone 
to  Wilna,  where  he  had  an  office  in  the  provisional  govern- 
ment newly  organised  by  the  emperor.  During  this  time  I 
remained  at  Natoline  with  my  children,  and  busied  myself 
with  arranging  that  delightful  seat. 

M.  de  Pradt,  wishing  to  judge  for  himself  of  this  country 
house  he  had  heard  me  speak  of,  wrote  to  me,  to  be  asked 
to  dinner.  I  was  the  more  surprised  at  this  cordiality  and 
absence  of  ceremony,  as  I  had  done  nothing  to  provoke  such 
an  invitation;  I  however  answered  as  it  behooved  me.  So 
we  saw  his  ambassadorship  arrive,  drawn  by  fat  jennets. 


200  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

The  day  was  very  hot,  and  M.  de  Pradt  very  tired.  As  soon 
as  he  was  a  little  rested  he  took  up  his  chapter  of  ancient 
anecdotes,  the  newest  of  which  dated  from  Madame  de 
Pompadour,  the  journeys  to  Marly,  etc.  He  only  stopped 
talking  when  we  went  into  the  dining-room.  But  there 
again  we  had  to  submit  to  long  dissertations  on  every  course. 
He  was  astonished  at  such  good  cooking  in  Poland,  and  he 
said  so  much  about  it,  that  I  told  him  my  head  cook  was  a 
Frenchman!  His  surprise  was  tremendous — he  never 
stopped  overwhelming  me  with  questions.  His  name  ?  His 
birthplace?  The  school  he  had  been  brought  up  at?  I 
knew  nothing  of  these  details,  and  I  had  a  notion  of  sending 
for  the  artist  himself.  The  young  men  of  the  embassy, 
ashamed  of  this  rather  ridiculous  scene,  were  evidently 
pained  by  it.  I  rose  from  table,  alleging  lateness  of  the 
hour  and  the  drive  we  were  to  take.  Upon  this  the  whole 
company  hastened  to  the  farm,  where  carriages  were  ready 
for  us,  while  the  ambassador  set  out  back  for  town. 

It  was  the  season  and  hour  when  the  gnats  are  worst! 
One  would  have  said  a  bad  fairy  had  called  them  to  this 
charming  habitation,  so  as  to  hinder  one's  belief  of  being  in 
paradise.  If  I  speak  of  it  here,  it  is  because  the  little  pests 
gave  rise  to  a  delightful  impromptu.  The  youngest  of  the 
party,  whom  I  have  already  mentioned,  M.  de  Panat,  much 
taken  up  with  his  importance  and  with  his  very  tiny  person, 
gave  vent  to  bitter  complaints,  and  deafened  us  with  the 
piercing  shrieks  that  every  new  sting  wrested  from  him,  and 
so  much  so  that,  at  the  end  of  the  drive  he  exclaimed  he  was 
dead,  that  the  last  of  his  enemies  had  just  finished  him  off, 
and  that,  being  eaten  by  these  cannibals,  nothing  remained 
for  him  but  to  be  buried.  Charmed  at  having  another  mon- 
ument to  put  in  the  park,  I  offered  the  epitaph  for  competi- 
tion! Here  is  what  M.  de  Brevannes  handed  me  after  a 
few  minutes;  he  had  written  it  in  his  notebook,  as  he  was 


COUNTESS   POTOCKA  20 1 

walking.     It  will  give  the  measure  of  the  subtlety  and  grace- 
fulness of  his  wit : 

Mourn  for  this  human  fraction,  .so  minute 
That,  when  a  gnat  to  dine  upon  it  tried, 
The  equally  unlucky  little  brute 
Of  hunger  died! 

M.  de  Panat  was  as  delighted  as  ourselves  over  this  quat- 
rain; he  made  fun  of  himself  with  a  good  humour  that 
was  entirely  French. 

Lovable  and  no  less  clever  nation,  sweet  country  that  I 
may  perhaps  never  see  again,  whose  charm  I  have  so  well 
understood,  and  whose  memory  I  have  so  faithfully  kept 
alive — receive  my  grateful  homage  here!  Had  I  to  begin 
that  painful  task  called  life  again,  I  would  wish  to  be  born  a 
Frenchwoman!  Not  that  I  disown  my  country;  Heaven 
forbid !  The  more  oppressed  she  is,  the  more  claim  has  she 
to  be  cherished  by  her  children.  But  if  one  had  the  choice, 
before  being  committed,  were  it  not  allowable  to  improve 
one's  lot,  in  order  to  escape  from  so  many  deceived  hopes,  so 
many  irreparable  misfortunes? 

I  was  then  at  the  time  of  life  when  the  future  always  looks 
better  than  it  is  to  be,  as  if  in  consolation  for  the  present. 
To-day,  when  sorrows  have  aged  me  even  more  than  years, 
I  regret  the  past,  and  count  little  on  the  future;  it  could 
never  give  me  back  all  I  have  lost ! 

Let  us  return  to  M.  de  Pradt,  so  as  not  to  have  to  speak 
of  him  again.  When  he  was  about  to  leave  our  house,  to 
occupy  the  Briihl  Palace,  he  thought  it  up  to  his  dignity  to 
leave  my  father-in-law  a  remembrance.  At  Willanow  he 
admired  Count  Potocki's  fine  picture  gallery,  and  knowing 
that  my  father-in-law,  who  had  collected  these  pictures,  was 
amateur  and  connoisseur  in  one,  he  asked  permission  to  offer 
him  a  masterpiece. 


202  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

"He  will  not  spoil  the  gallery,"  said  he. 

My  father-in-law  did  his  best  to  decline,  but  not  caring  to 
disoblige  the  ambassador,  he  at  last  accepted. 

The  painting  he  offered  was  in  the  episcopal  palace  at 
Malines ;  it  took  a  rather  long  time  to  send  for  it. 

"It  will  very  likely  be  a  Madonna  of  the  Flemish  school," 
said  my  father-in-law;  I  set  no  great  store  by  them,  nearly 
all  of  these  Madonnas  are  wanting  in  nobility."  "But  sup- 
posing it  were  a  Diirer  or  a  Holbein  ?"  I  replied. 

And  so  we  amused  ourselves  by  guessing  how  far  the 
magnificence  of  this  gift  would  go,  which  was  costing  the 
giver  nothing.  At  last  the  long  expected  box  arrived !  The 
most  miserable  of  daubs  was  unrolled !  It  was  the  portrait 
of  a  brigand  once  famous  in  the  country  districts.  But  what 
was  this  picture  doing  in  a  palace  adjoining  the  cathedral? 
That  is  what  M.  de  Pradt  was  never  able  to  tell  us. 

I  was  at  great  pains  to  hide  my  astonishment ;  my  father- 
in-law,  whose  politeness  was  extreme,  simulated  rapture,  and 
M.  de  Pradt  withdrew,  persuaded  that  he  had  mystified  his 
host.  The  masterpiece  took  its  place  in  the  garret  of 
Willanow. 


CHAPTER  IV 


1812-1813 

FIRST  NEWS  OF  THE  DISASTERS — ARRIVAL  OF  NAPOLEON  AT 

WARSAW THE  DINNER  AT  THE  HOTEL  D'ANGLETERRE 

MADAME    WALEWSKA COLONEL    WONSOWICZ's    STORY 

RETURN     OF     THE     TROOPS PRINCE     PONIATOWSKI MO- 

JAISK THE  EAGLES — THE  CUCKOO — PATRIOTIC  ENTHU- 
SIASM— PRINCE  PONIATOWSKl's  FAREWELL  AND  DEPART- 
URE— HIS  WILL. 

As  far  as  Moscow  the  bulletins  were  magnificent — the 
enemy  was  in  retreat;  we  were  assured  he  was  running 
away,  and  gave  credence  to  it  simply  because  it  was  our 
dearest  wish. 

I  shall  not  stop  to  speak  of  such  well-known  events,  on 
which  able  writers  will  often  dwell.  I  shall  merely  note 
down  the  circumstances  relating  to  Poland  and  the  impres- 
sions we  gathered. 

During  the  winter  of  1812  the  assemblies  at  the  embassy 
had  become  brilliant.  People  went  there  the  more  eagerly 
as  it  was  at  M.  de  Pradt's  evening  parties  that  they  learnt 
the  impatiently  awaited  news.  When  no  couriers  arrived 
the  severity  of  the  weather  was  blamed,  which  made  the 

203 


204  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

roads  impassable.  It  was  understood  that  there  was  no 
cause  for  alarm. 

When  I  review  in  memory  the  different  sensations  to 
which  the  events  gave  birth,  I  cannot  find  enough  astonish- 
ment at  our  stupid  and  inexplicable  feeling  of  safety. 

The  disasters  which  were  about  to  overwhelm  the  army 
were  foreseen  only  by  a  small  number  of  alarmists.  The 
news  of  the  burning  of  Moscow  was  the  first  signal  of  the 
rout.  However,  the  ambassador  took  all  possible  and  im- 
possible measures  to  nourish  the  illusions  we  were  pleased 
to  cherish.  The  messages  sent  from  the  army  to  the  em- 
press were  diverted,  and  went  to  Berlin — not  a  letter 
intrusted  to  the  post  reached  its  address;  all  were  intercepted. 
M.  de  Pradt  seemed  to  have  selected  for  his  motto:  Amuse 
and  abuse;  he  was  giving  splendid  balls  and  dinners. 

But  of  a  sudden  the  news  stopped  altogether,  and  soon  it 
was  impossible  to  conceal  what  had  happened.  Faithful  to 
the  part  he  had  set  himself,  the  ambassador  wanted  to  have 
us  dance  once  more !  But  that  last  ball  was  so  lugubrious 
that  it  reminded  one  more  of  a  funeral  service  than  a  gay 
festivity. 

My  father-in-law  having  communicated  the  news  to  me, 
— so  persistently  kept  back, — under  the  seal  of  secrecy,  in- 
sisted that  I  should  go  to  this  ball.  I  donned  a  black  velvet 
dress,  so  as  to  have  a  pretext  for  not  dancing.  M.  de  Pradt, 
pretending  to  be  very  shocked  at  a  dress  so  unsuited  to  the 
occasion,  repeated  several  times  that  it  was  out  of  keeping 
with  my  age.  But  while  he  did  the  honours  with  the  easiest 
air  in  the  world,  it  was  whispered  that  the  ambassador  had 
just  then  received  orders  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  for 
departure,  and  that  his  traps  were  being  packed. 

Where  the  blow  was  expected  least  it  was  felt  most.  War- 
saw fell  into  a  sort  of  silent  stupor.  A  frightful  anxiety  had 
seized  all  the  families  who  had  fathers,  brothers,  and  husbands 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  205 

in  the  army.  People  only  approached  one  another  trem- 
bling. Imagination,  this  time,  remained  far  behind  the  hor- 
rible truth.  We  were  informed  of  everything  at  once,  the 
news  having  been  kept  secret  for  more  than  a  fortnight. 
The  splendours  that  had  fascinated  us  crumbled  away  in  an 
instant.  We  understood  that  the  most  desperate  efforts 
could  henceforth  not  prolong  a  conflict  on  which  all  our 
hopes  had  been  staked.  The  drama  of  several  months  ended 
in  a  dreadful  manner :  the  ruin  of  the  country  and  a  host  of 
private  misfortunes.  In  vain  the  attempt  to  stretch  out 
doubt  as  to  the  lot  of  those  who  had  sacrificed  all  to  the 
holiest  of  causes !  The  despair  was  general :  We  were  in- 
consolable at  thus  seeing  the  only  chance  favouring  the  res- 
toration of  Poland  fade  away.  It  was  no  longer  to  be 
presumed  that  Napoleon  would  regain  his  influence  in  the 
North  and  lay  down  the  law  there  in  the  future. 

The  loth  of  December  we  were  mournfully  gathered 
about  the  family  hearth,  and  were  deploring  the  inexpress- 
ible failure  of  the  great  man  who  had  obstinately  laid  his 
power  and  fame  in  gage  against  the  imperious  process  of 
nature.  Suddenly  my  father-in-law  was  mysteriously 
called  for  on  behalf  of  the  ambassador.  Every  one  was 
expecting  to  see  M.  de  Pradt  depart,  from  one  moment  to 
the  next,  so  that  our  first  idea  was  simply  of  a  farewell 
visit. 

The  anxious  hours  went  by.  Anything  that  might  hap- 
pen would  but  alarm  us — there  was  no  further  hope  of  good 
fortune  possible. 

At  the  end  of  this  long  wait  Count  Stanislaus  Potocki 
came  back,  visibly  affected ;  he  let  us  guess  who  the  person 
was  he  had  been  talking  with.  It  was  the  Emperor  Napo- 
leon himself,  who,  after  sacrificing  a  million  of  men  to  his 
bold  caprice,  returned  alone,  conquered  by  a  destroying  ele- 
ment, but  in  no  wise  cast  down,  much  less  discouraged. 


206  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

His  stupendous  genius  opened  the  vision  to  him  of  France's 
immense  resources,  and  the  possibility  of  utilising  them  to 
catch  the  sceptre  of  the  world  again,  which  was  about  to 
escape  him. 

He  spoke  of  the  disasters  without  seeking  to  disguise 
them,  nor  even  to  minimise  their  horrors.  He  admitted  his 
mistakes,  and  alluded  to  the  excessive  confidence  he  had 
placed  in  his  star,  which  up  to  that  fatal  hour  had  seemed  to 
lord  it  over  the  elements.  He  detailed  all  the  favourable 
prospects  the  future  might  offer,  and  gave  a  succinct  review 
of  European  politics;  he  enumerated,  with  rare  sagacity, 
the  favourable  and  untoward  circumstances  he  might  meet 
with.  He  did  not  destroy  our  hopes,  but  encouraged  our 
efforts,  promised  to  return  at  the  head  of  a  fresh  army,  in  a 
word,  passed  the  fire  of  his  discourse  into  the  souls  of  the 
listeners.  The  fascination  exercised  by  this  extraordinary 
man  upon  all  who  heard  him  was  so  potent  that  my  father- 
in-law,  who  had  left  us  quite  depressed,  came  back  full  of 
hope.  And  this,  though  he  was  no  longer  at  the  age  of 
illusions,  and  his  exact  and  penetrating  mind  made  for  the 
practical  side  in  all  the  serious  affairs  of  life. 

We  who  had  not  been  present  at  the  discourse  of  the  great 
magician,  and  were  not  under  the  spell,  remained  shattered. 
The  present  alone  concerned  us.  It  appeared  a  hideous 
spectacle.  Through  this  bloody  vision,  the  future,  which 
had  betrayed  us  so  many  times,  loomed  up  gloomy  and 
desolate. 

M.  de  Pradt,  in  the  account  he  published  of  his  mission, 
by  trying  to  cast  ridicule  upon  this  remarkable  interview, 
exhibited  himself  in  a  most  unfavourable  light.  He  played 
the  part  of  the  suborned  flatterer  to  the  end,  and  evinced 
himself  full  of  admiration  for  his  master's  plans,  as  well  as 
for  the  saying  so  often  since  repeated :  From  the  sublime  to 
the  ridiculous  there  is  but  a  step.  He  retired  only  after 
many  protestations. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  207 

We  were  greatly  surprised  to  learn,  that  instead  of  stop- 
ping at  the  embassy,  Napoleon  had  preferred  to  go  to  the 
Hdtel  d'Angleterre,  where  he  dined.  Perhaps  he  had  a 
notion  of  thereby  saving  his  much  compromised  incognito, 
for  he  alighted  at  the  entrance  to  the  Praga  Bridge,  and 
traversed  the  whole  suburb  of  Cracow  at  the  hour  when  that 
section  of  the  town  is  most  alive,  dressed  in  a  green  velvet 
fur  coat  with  gold  frogs,  and  a  large  sable  cap  on  his  head. 
It  was  a  surprising  thing  that  he  was  neither  followed  nor 
recognised.  Occupied  with  current  events,  people  could  not 
think  of  the  emperor  already  being  this  side  of  the  Vistula, 
while  he  was  still  supposed  to  be  lost  in  the  ice  and  snow 
of  the  Dzwina.  He  was  escorted  by  no  one  but  M.  de 
Caulaincourt  and  Colonel  Wonsowicz,  his  orderly  officer, 
whose  bravery  and  devotion  were  known  to  him.  His  Mam- 
eluke had  been  ordered  not  to  leave  the  carriage,  and  only  to 
come  to  the  hotel  at  dark,  when  everything  should  be  ready 
for  departure. 

As  he  sat  down  to  table  Napoleon  sent  for  the  ambassador, 
and  instructed  him  to  summon  the  president  of  the  council 
and  the  two  ministers,  Mostowski  and  Matuszewicz,  with 
whom  he  wished  to  converse. 

Horses  were  ordered  at  the  post  station  in  the  name  of  M. 
de  Caulaincourt, — this  was  the  way  of  preserving  the  incog- 
nito,— and  about  nine  in  the  evening  they  started  again. 
Here  is  an  anecdote  as  singular  as  it  is  little  known : 

Napoleon  wanted  to  turn  out  of  his  road  to  go  to  see 
Madame  Walewska,  who,  as  I  have  stated,  was  living  alone 
in  her  castle.  M.  de  Caulaincourt,  to  whom  the  emperor 
confided  his  project,  opposed  this  lover's  whim  very  vio- 
lently ;  he  had  the  courage  to  make  representations  of  all  its 
impropriety,  and  to  dwell  on  the  effect  such  frivolity  would 
have  on  the  empress,  and  on  those  who  would  not  forgive 
Napoleon  for  thinking  of  his  love  affairs  at  a  time  when  he 
had  lately  abandoned  his  routed  army.  After  sulking  for 


208  MEMOIRS   OF   THE 

a  few  minutes,  the  emperor,  too  just  to  bear  resentment 
against  one  who  had  just  given  him  this  new  proof  of  at- 
tachment and  good  sense,  gave  Caulaincourt  assurances  of 
esteem  and  affection  which  did  honour  to  both  men.  Colo- 
nel Wonsowicz,  a  witness  of  this  little  scene  enacted  in  the 
coach,  not  being  bound  to  secrecy,  told  me  about  it  in  the 
spiciest  manner. 

We  were  also  indebted  to  him  for  curious  details  of  the 
emperor's  arrival  at  Dresden.  The  sole  faithful  ally  re- 
maining to  him  was  the  King  of  Saxony ;  he  wished  to  speak 
with  this  prince  on  the  steps  he  was  contemplating.  Arrived 
at  M.  de  Serra's  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  and  wanting  not 
to  lose  an  instant,  he  had  Colonel  Wonsowicz  commanded 
to  go  at  once  to  the  royal  palace,  and  to  wake  the  king,  who 
from  time  immemorial  had  never  been  disturbed  in  his  sleep. 
The  watch  and  the  sentinel  were  also  asleep — it  was  only  by 
going  through  the  greatest  difficulties  that  the  emperor's 
envoy  reached  the  king's  apartment.  He,  started  up  by  an 
officer,  had  all  the  trouble  in  the  world  to  understand  that 
Napoleon,  passing  through  his  capital,  asked  for  a  moment's 
conversation.  Enlightened  by  Wonsowicz,  he  was  dressed 
in  haste,  and  threw  himself  into  a  sedan  chair  to  be  carried 
to  the  minister's,  for  the  court  stables  being  situated  in  the 
suburbs,  too  much  time  would  have  been  required  to  get  a 
carriage  at  this  hour  of  the  night,  at  which  never  before  had 
anything  unexpected  happened.  In  the  morning,  the  rumor 
was  spread  of  the  king's  disappearance,  and  of  its  being  un- 
known what  had  become  of  him.  Great  was  the  alarm. 
The  chamberlains,  the  pages,  and  the  runners  scoured  the 
town,  spreading  this  strange  news,  whose  explanation  was 
forthcoming  only  when  the  emperor  was  already  on  the 
way  to  Paris. 

A  few  days  after  Napoleon's  return  those  of  our  soldiers 
who  had  been  in  a  fit  state  to  endure  the  journey  gradually 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  209 

appeared.  Some  were  clad  in  rags,  which  could  have  been 
no  protection  against  the  cold ;  others,  better  provided,  were 
wearing  women's  furs. 

We  saw  Count  Arthur  Potocki,  Prince  Poniatowski's  ad- 
jutant, arrive  in  an  open  sledge,  stricken  with  a  nervous 
fever. 

Prince  Poniatowski  was  one  of  the  last  to  come  back.  His 
journey  had  been  long  and  severe.  He  had  twisted  his  foot 
in  getting  off  a  horse,  and  was  obliged  to  remain  in  his 
carriage  in  a  recumbent  position,  experiencing  great  pain 
at  the  least  jolt. 

As  soon  as  I  learnt  of  the  prince's  arrival,  I  hastened  to 
kiss  his  hands.  His  features,  overcast  by  his  sufferings, 
expressed  even  more  mental  than  physical  pain.  He 
bitterly  deplored  the  splendid  army  which  had  been  cut  to 
pieces  under  his  very  eyes ;  he  bewailed  the  heroic  death  of 
so  many  braves  sacrificed  to  the  incomprehensible  lapse  of 
prudence  on  the  part  of  the  great  man  to  whom,  neverthe- 
less, he  had  remained  faithful  in  spite  of  all.  I  thought  I 
perceived  he  had  not  altogether  lost  hope,  and  was  all  the 
more  surprised,  as  he  belonged  to  the  few  who,  though  they 
did  so  devotedly,  did  not  go  blindly  into  such  a  gigantic 
contest.  He  stated  that  his  sojourn  in  Warsaw  would  be 
brief,  and  that  once  the  remnants  of  the  Polish  army  were 
gathered  together,  he  would  actively  take  the  reorganisation 
of  the  troops  in  hand. 

He  added  that,  for  the  carnival,  we  should  have  Aus- 
trian officers,  less  affable  than  the  French,  but  perfect  dan- 
cers. This  was  an  allusion  to  the  Prince  of  Schwartzen- 
berg's  regiment,  on  which  Napoleon  was  still  counting,  a 
final  illusion,  which  endured  but  a  few  days;  for  no  sooner 
did  the  Polish  army  advance  upon  Cracow  than  the  Aus- 
trian general  handed  over  Warsaw  to  the  Prussians,  and 
then  the  treason  became  patent. 


210  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

Having  noticed  a  huge  folio  near  the  prince's  bed,  I  asked 
him  laughingly  if  that  was  not  his  memoirs. 

"Oh,  we  have  plenty  of  time  to  write!"  said  he.  "Take 
the  volume  as  a  remembrance;  it  is  my  private  loot.  I 
had  it  picked  up  on  the  march,  and  read  it  for  amusement. 
It  is  a  journey  to  the  East.  Keep  it  for  your  children;  time 
will  add  value  to  it.  You  know,  I  hope,  that  we  went 
through  the  midst  of  abandoned  treasures  in  Moscow  sup- 
porting arms;  not  one  of  my  men  left  the  ranks."  He  spoke 
these  few  words  with  a  sort  of  proud  satisfaction  shining  in 
his  eyes. 

I  could  not  refrain  from  reminding  him  of  another  oc- 
currence, the  assault  on  the  battery  whose  capture  resulted 
in  the  memorable  victory  of  Moja'isk.  He  listened  to  me 
with  his  characteristic  modesty — he  made  so  little  of  the 
gifts  nature  had  lavished  on  him,  that  his  rare  valour  seemed 
to  him  the  attribute  of  every  well  conditioned  man;  he  did 
not  believe  in  cowards. 

A  few  days  after  his  return,  while  we  were  listening  with 
intense  interest  to  his  story  of  the  campaign,  an  officer  came 
to  inform  him  that  a  great  number  of  soldiers  were  begging 
permission  to  give  back  their  eagles  to  their  captain. 

Unable  to  walk,  the  prince  had  himself  carried  into  the 
courtyard;  we  followed.  I  then  witnessed  a  touching  and 
sublime  sight.  As  soon  as  Poniatowski  apppeared  on  the 
steps  before  the  door  all  those  braves  crowded  about  him, 
depositing  their  eagles  at  his  feet.  The  soldiers  had  not 
lost  sight  of  these  insignia  for  a  moment;  at  a  time  when 
others  had  thought  only  of  saving  their  lives,  they  had 
thought  of  the  honour  of  the  regiment.  A  single  one  of 
these  eagles  was  missing. 

"Ah !"  they  all  cried  at  once,  "he  is  here,  the  cuckoo,  but 
as  his  head  has  been  carried  off  by  a  bullet,  our  comrade  is 
ashamed  to  present  him  in  this  pitiful  state.  Come  on, 
come  forward,  it  is  not  your  fault !" 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  211 

All  burst  out  laughing,  and  a  young  man  of  twenty  was 
seen  to  advance,  his  arm  in  a  sling;  he  pulled  the  said  cuckoo 
out  of  the  pocket  of  a  coat  in  rags;  putting  it  with  an 
abashed  air  by  the  side  of  the  others,  he  excused  himself  for 
bringing  back  his  eagle  thus  mutilated. 

"Well,  he  is  young  yet,  is  our  comrade,"  said  the  oldest 
men,  "he  was  always  in  front." 

And  then  there  were  cries  of  "Long  live  Poland !  Long 
live  our  beloved  chief!  Long  live  our  country!" 

Unable  to  contain  his  emotion  longer,  the  prince  secretly 
wiped  his  eyes.  The  soldiers  apparently  thought  the  prince 
in  grief,  and  to  console  him  told  him  that  soon  he  would 
see  his  cannons  returning. 

"Do  not  be  distressed,"  said  they.  "They  who  will  bring 
them  back  were  not  able  to  hasten  as  we  were.  For,  do  you 
see,  it's  a  deal  heavier.  But  they  will  come  in  a  few  days, 
never  fear.  Our  horses  are  dead  or  eaten;  we  harnessed 
ourselves  to  our  cannons.  Only  seek  recovery,  and  you 
shall  see  that  all  will  go  well.  We  shall  fight,  we  will  have 
revenge !  We  will  follow  you  if  it  were  to  Hell !" 

And  then  came  huzzas,  and  caps  in  the  air ;  and  what  caps, 
great  Heavens!  Rags!  Shreds  fastened  one  to  another! 
And  these  people  had  not  a  warm  garment,  no  shoes !  The 
best  off  had  their  feet  swathed  in  strips  of  cloth.  All,  at 
least,  were  merry  and  active,  ready  to  start  again  the  next 
day,  or  the  same  if  necessary. 

The  prince  had  all  the  money  in  his  exchequer  divided 
among  them.  An  improvised  meal  was  served  them  in  the 
courtyard.  We  poured  them  out  champagne ;  they  drank  en- 
thusiastically to  the  health  of  their  chief.  All  the  members 
of  the  prince's  household  and  the  visitors  showered  civil- 
ities upon  them,  they  alone  seeming  surprised  at  this  sort 
of  celebration — they  thought  they  had  done  no  more  than 
their  duty. 

Time  went  by  heavily.     A  kind  of  benumbing  sorrow 


212  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

had  succeeded  the  most  poignantly  cruel  sensations.     The 
future  loomed  up  threatening. 

The  great  fight,  the  fight  to  the  death — all  Europe  against 
one  man — was  really  to  begin,  and  to  settle  our  fate. 

Alas !  It  was  not  on  the  banks  of  the  Dzwina  but  on  the 
shores  of  the  Rhine  that  the  colossal  duel  was  to  be  enacted. 
It  was  all  over  with  the  hero's  good  fortune;  the  ruins  of 
his  throne  were  to  crush  us  in  their  fall. 

Meanwhile,  our  army  received  orders  to  advance  upon 
Cracow.  Prince  Poniatowski  left  Warsaw  at  the  end  of 
January.  He  was  completely  restored,  and  at  the  moment 
of  departure  came  to  bid  me  farewell.  I  noticed  that  his 
handsome  face  was  sad  and  melancholy.  It  was  not  the 
thought  of  saying  good-bye  which  disturbed  him;  indiffer- 
ent to  his  own  fate,  he  was  thinking  of  Napoleon's.  He 
foresaw  the  collapse  of  the  edifice  of  his  power  over  Europe, 
built  upon  victories. 

When  I  embraced  him  for  the  last  time  I  could  not  hold 
back  my  tears — and  then  he  scolded  me;  he  forbade  me  to 
mourn  him  if  he  should  happen  to  meet  with  a  glorious 
death  on  a  field  of  battle.  Should  he  not  be  happy,  he 
asked,  not  to  see  the  misfortunes  which  would  probably 
befall  our  poor  country? 

Observing  that,  despite  the  consolation  he  was  trying  to 
dispense,  I  continued  in  my  affliction,  he  attempted  to  give 
the  conversation  a  lighter  turn. 

He  sent  for  my  children,  kissed  them,  enjoined  it  upon 
me  to  speak  to  them  about  him  some  day,  and  departed,  a 
great  deal  more  moved  than  he  wished  to  appear.  Alas, 
it  was  the  last  good-bye !  We  ascertained  afterwards  that, 
sure  of  never  coming  back,  he  had  made  his  will,  and  noth- 
ing was  nobler  and  touching  than  the  tone  of  his  last 
wishes.  He  desired  his  collection  of  weapons  to  be  dis- 
tributed among  his  former  comrades,  and  the  money  found 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  213 

in  his  treasury  to  be  divided  among  his  poor  and  among 
the  soldiers  who  had  medals,  in  order,  he  said,  that  they  may 
drink  my  health  once  more.  He  left  a  competence  to  two 
natural  children,  and  to  one  belonging  to  an  old  man-ser- 
vant; he  left  his  sister  the  usufruct  of  his  whole  fortune, 
and  bequeathed  his  estate,  Jablonna,  to  me.  May  his  mem- 
ory be  held  in  reverence  there  forever,  and  may  the  precious 
remembrances  there  collected  never  fall  into  sacrilegious 
hands ! 

For  my  part  I  believe  I  have  acquitted  myself  of  the  ob- 
ligation this  legacy  imposed.  For  ten  years  I  would  not 
touch  the  revenue  from  this  lovely  place  except  for  its  em- 
bellishment. The  inscription  on  the  library,  or  rather  the 
museum  door,  expresses  my  thought: 

USTRONIE  BOHATERA  STARANNIE 

OZDOBIWSKY  POTOMKOM 

PRZEKAZUJE. 

("This  retreat  of  the  hero,  adorned  by  my  fostering  care, 
I  bequeath  to  his  descendants.") 


CHAPTER  V 

DEATH    OF    PRINCE    PONIATOWSKI 
1813 

PRINCE  ADAM  CZARTORYSKI  AND  ALEXANDER — THE  EM- 
PEROR OF  RUSSIA'S  PROPOSALS  TO  PONIATOWSKI — PRINCE 
ANTONY  RADZIWILL — PRINCE  PONIATOWSKl's  ATTITUDE 
— HIS  INTERVIEW  WITH  NAPOLEON  AT  DRESDEN — THE 

CAMPAIGN    IN    SAXONY PRINCE    SULKOWSKI GENERAL 

DOMBROWSKI — THE  POLES  IN  ELBA — KRASINSKI — PRINCE 
PONIATOWSKl's    FUNERAL. 

WE  soon  gained  certainty  of  Austria's  having  come  to  an 
understanding  with  Russia;  while  Prince  Poniatowski  was 
on  the  way  to  Cracow,  the  Austrian  field-marshal  made 
room  for  the  Russian  vanguard,  under  General  Czaplic, 
who,  being  a  Pole,  was  intrusted  with  the  task  of  dissem- 
inating his  sovereign's  manifestoes,  which  were  redundant 
with  seductive  assurances  and  promises. 

As  soon  as  the  ministers,  Matuszewicz,  Mostowski,  and 
Sobolewski,  under  the  leadership  of  Count  Zamoyski,  were 
apprised  of  Emperor  Alexander's  magnanimous  designs, 
mysterious  communications  began  to  pass  between  them 
and  the  emissaries  of  the  Russian  government,  which  were 
watched  by  M.  Bignon,  who,  after  his  return  from  Wilna, 

214 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  215 

had  received  orders  to  repair  to  Cracow  in  attendance  upon 
Prince  Poniatowski. 

Deceived  by  illusory  hopes,  Prince  Adam  Czartoryski, 
Alexander's  friend  and  confidant,  did  not  doubt  that  the 
autocrat  had  conceived  the  generous  project  of  giving 
Poland  back  her  original  status  and  administration;  he 
made  it  his  duty  to  serve  the  Czar,  but  did  not  foresee  that 
the  old  Russian  party  would  place  insurmountable  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  all  revolutionary  schemes.  And  here  it  was 
that  Novosiltzoff  intervened,  who  played  such  an  infamous 
part  in  the  affairs  of  our  unhappy  country.  He  pretended 
to  share  Czartoryski's  patriotic  hopes  and  Alexander's  lib- 
eral tendencies,  and  so  succeeded  in  creeping  into  their 
favour,  all  the  while,  however,  tranquillizing  the  Boyards 
as  to  the  effects  of  the  young  sovereign's  generous  ideas. 
He  profited  surreptitiously  by  the  enormous  wealth  of 
Prince  Czartoryski,  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  own  luxurious 
tastes,  and  to  the  enjoyment  of  his  secret  debauches.  En- 
abled, through  intrigue,  to  take  a  hand  in  politics,  where 
his  baneful  influence  was  henceforth  to  exercise  such  pow- 
erful control,  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  provisionary 
government. 

Events  were  at  this  stage  when  Prince  Poniatowski,  es- 
tablished at  Cracow  with  his  army,  was  still  awaiting 
Napoleon's  orders. 

Alexander,  judging  the  moment  opportune  to  wean  us 
away  from  France,  had  the  most  alluring  conditions  offered 
the  prince  for  Poland.  On  this  occasion  it  was  that  Prince 
Poniatowski  uttered  the  noble  words  which  so  entirely  re- 
vealed his  character: 

"I  would  not  take  advantage  of  the  best  founded  hopes 
if  they  had  to  be  bought  at  the  price  of  dishonour." 

The  Russian  envoy  returned  without  having  accom- 
plished anything.  Russia  went  further.  Prince  Antony 


2i6  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

Radziwill,  husband  of  Princess  Louise  of  Prussia,  the  king's 
cousin,  arrived  in  Cracow,  armed  with  secret  instructions. 
Radziwill  gave  the  prince  to  understand  that  the  moment 
had  come  when  no  one  would  be  surprised  to  see  Poniatow- 
ski  reach  out  for  the  electoral  crown;  he  showed  that,  the 
lot  of  Poland  being  bound  up  with  so  righteous  an  ambition, 
history  would  never  reproach  the  brave  captain  for  having 
abandoned  the  French  standard  when  he  was  fully  justified 
in  unfurling  his  own. 

This  insidious  speech  was  accompanied  by  the  most  flat- 
tering eulogies. 

Poniatowski  replied  that,  wishing  to  meet  worthily  the 
manifestations  of  esteem  transmitted  to  him  in  the  name  of 
a  respected  monarch,  he  believed  it  to  be  his  part  to  answer 
with  complete  frankness.  He  then  rejected  outright  the 
proposals  which,  to  say  the  truth,  had  surprised  more  than 
flattered  him. 

"I  have  sworn,"  he  added,  "not  to  separate  my  country's 
cause  from  Napoleon's,  who  has  been  our  only  friend." 

Prince  Poniatowski  caused  Prince  Radziwill  to  leave 
Cracow  within  twenty-four  hours;  he  warned  him  that  he 
would  inform  M.  Bignon  of  what  had  transpired. 

From  that  date  did  the  special  confidence  begin  which  ever 
after  Napoleon  reposed  in  Poniatowski;  the  emperor  even 
went  so  far  as  to  conceive  the  notion  of  putting  the  prince  on 
the  throne  of  Poland,  should  circumstances  allow.  Alas! 
That  is  where  he  ought  to  have  begun.  Unfortunately, 
the  suspicion  and  contempt  which  the  emperor  entertained 
against  mankind  often  falsified  his  estimate  of  individuals. 

I  have  seen  a  letter  in  which  my  uncle  reported  a  private 
interview  he  had  had  at  Dresden  with  Napoleon,  at  the 
time  when  the  treaty  of  peace  was  being  considered,  which 
might  then  have  been  passed  on  reasonable  terms.  A 
rather  strange  fancy  impelled  the  emperor  to  demand  an 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  217 

expression  of  opinion  on  this  important  question  from  the 
prince.  Poniatowski,  with  his  soldier's  bluntness,  said 
without  hesitation : 

"Since  Your  Majesty  commands,  here  is  my  advice — I 
think  it  would  be  wise  to  make  peace  in  order  to  make  war 
all  the  better  afterwards." 

"Perhaps  you  may  not  be  wrong,"  exclaimed  Napoleon, 
"but  I  shall  make  war  in  order  to  make  a  better  peace.  The 
future  will  decide  who  is  right."  At  that  moment  he 
tugged  the  bell-pull,  with  which  he  had  been  playing  during 
their  conversation,  so  hard  that  the  bell  was  answered  at 
once. 

The  1 3th  of  April,  1813,  the  Polish  army  was  ordered  to 
move.  It  crossed  Bohemia  and  concentrated  at  Zittau,  in 
Saxony.  Many  years  later,  on  my  way  to  Carlsbad,  I 
travelled  through  that  charming  country,  and  was  happy 
to  find  the  name  of  Prince  Poniatowski  cherished  and  ven- 
erated there. 

The  summer  of  1813  saw  the  last  of  the  feats  of  Napo- 
leon's genius.  It  was  still  the  sun  of  Austerlitz  lighting  up 
the  battles  of  Liitzen  and  Bautzen,  but  the  battle  of  Leipsic 
was  the  signal  of  the  giant's  fall. 

The  emperor  found  Prince  Poniatowski  at  Delitz ;  he  had 
all  the  places  pointed  out  to  him  where  the  enemy  would 
be  likely  to  open  the  attack,  and  intrusted  the  most  impor- 
tant place  to  the  valour  of  the  Poles. 

During  the  whole  of  the  i6th  of  October  they  held  their 
position,  although  with  numbers  greatly  inferior  to  the 
enemy's.  At  Delitz  Poniatowski  was  given  the  marshal's 
staff.  On  the  evening  of  the  I9th  he  was  called  to  the  em- 
peror to  take  his  orders. 

"Prince,"  he  said  to  him,  "you  will  defend  the  southern 
suburb  and  cover  the  retreat." 

"Your  Majesty,  I  have  very  few  men  left,"  answered 


2i8  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

Poniatowski,  with  difficulty  concealing  the  grief  he  had  felt 
at  seeing  three-quarters  of  his  soldiers  fall  the  day  before. 

"No  matter!  Seven  thousand  Poles  under  your  com- 
mand are  worth  an  army  corps." 

"Your  Majesty,  we  are  all  ready  to  be  killed." 

There,  once  more,  the  Poles  performed  miracles ;  but  the 
small  number  who  escaped  from  the  enemy  were  hemmed  in 
through  the  blowing  up  of  the  bridge  at  Leipsic.  Their 
heroic  chief,  perceiving  himself  about  to  be  taken  prisoner, 
jumped  into  the  Elster.  He  did  not  know  how  to  swim, 
and  one  of  his  arms  was  in  a  sling.  He  went  down  in  the 
floods  of  that  wretched  little  river,  immensely  swollen  by 
the  autumn  rains. 

"God  put  the  honour  of  the  Poles  into  my  hands,  and  to 
God  I  deliver  it !"  Such  were  his  last  words.  In  their  sub- 
lime simplicity  they  summed  up  the  history  of  his  whole  life. 

For  some  days  we  remained  ignorant  of  the  cruel  catas- 
trophe which  was  the  culmination  of  our  misfortunes.  The 
Russians,  who  were  masters  of  Warsaw,  suppressed  the  de- 
tails of  the  battle;  but  soon  we  learnt  the  frightful  news, 
whose  effect  can  only  be  compared  to  that  of  an  earthquake. 
The  country  was  at  the  mercy  of  our  most  barbarous  ene- 
mies, our  army  was  destroyed,  all  our  resources  were  ex- 
hausted. The  modest  Duchy  of  Warsaw,  which  once  had 
seemed  beneath  our  aspirations  and  efforts,  was  to  become 
a  subject  of  everlasting  regret. 

Napoleon  found  himself  at  great  pains  to  replace  Prince 
Poniatowski — he  would  not  disband  what  remained  of  the 
Polish  troops,  reckoning  upon  employing  them  if  occasion 
offered.  His  choice  fell  upon  Prince  Sulkowski,  who  had 
distinguished  himself  in  Spain,  and  whose  name  was  asso- 
ciated with  his  memories  of  Egypt,  where  a  Sulkowski  had 
attracted  his  attention  and  won  his  favour.  This  choice 
was  not  happy.  Sulkowski,  though  full  of  valour,  had 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  219 

neither  the  talents  nor  the  character  of  a  superior  indi- 
vidual. Tired  of  a  long  and  disastrous  campaign,  having 
nothing  to  ask  of  fortune,  and  caring  little  for  fame,  he  had 
but  one  desire,  which  was  to  return  to  a  wife  he  adored. 
He  therefore  did  not  at  all  apply  himself  to  the  exhibition  of 
a  soldierly  spirit,  and,  feeling  himself  incompetent  for  his 
task,  handed  in  his  resignation. 

The  command  was  then  made  over  to  Dombrowski,  the 
same  who  had  formerly  organised  the  first  Polish  legions 
in  Italy. 

Dombrowski  crossed  the  Rhine  at  Mayence,  and  halted  at 
Sedan  with  a  very  incomplete  regiment.  General  de  Fla- 
hault,  the  emperor's  adjutant,  was  ordered  to  join  him,  to 
assist  him  in  making  up  the  complements.  Not  without 
trouble  did  they  succeed  in  mustering  three  regiments  of 
cavalry,  of  whom  Count  Pac  took  command,  while  Dom- 
browski, ill  and  already  far  advanced  in  years,  remained  at 
Sedan,  where  he  busied  himself  with  the  re-formation  of  the 
infantry. 

The  brave  Count  Pac,  seriously  wounded  in  the  affray 
at  Craon,  was  obliged  to  retire.  In  the  meanwhile  Vincent 
Krasinski,  by  a  decree  signed  at  Fontainebleau  the  4th  of 
April,  1814,  was  awarded  the  post  of  General-in-Chief  of 
the  Polish  army. 

Our  compatriots  vainly  solicited  the  privilege  of  follow- 
ing the  hero  into  exile.  Napoleon,  touched  by  the  signs  of 
these  soldiers'  devotion  at  the  moment  he  found  himself 
betrayed,  selected  thirty  Poles,  who,  under  Colonel  Jerz- 
manowski,  embarked  for  Elba. 

Impartiality  is  a  sorry  duty  for  them  who  write  their  me- 
moirs, when  by  the  side  of  praiseworthy  actions  they  must 
reveal  errors  and  turpitude. 

The  character  of  Poles  is  generally  a  mixture  of  two 
extremes:  unlimited  patriotism,  nobility,  and  disinterested- 


220  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

ness,  or  unbridled  boasting,  ambition,  and  conceit.  It  was 
of  these  last  elements  that  Krasinski's  character  was  com- 
posed; ambitious  without  being  great,  a  courtier  by  princi- 
ple and  taste,  an  unflinching  liar,  he  shrank  from  nothing 
that  might  further  his  mad  designs. 

Wishing  to  pass  for  a  great  lord  patronising  the  arts, 
he  asked  Vernet  for  a  picture  representing  the  battle  of 
Somo-Sierra,  and  had  the  audacity  to  have  his  portrait 
put  in;  nobody  however  was  ignorant  that  he  had  not  been 
present  at  the  battle;  he  had  restricted  himself  to  a  display 
of  his  vanity.  Possibly  his  contemporaries  might  have 
absolved  him,  but  after  the  fall  of  Napoleon  he  attached 
himself  to  the  Emperor  Alexander  and  became  a  Russian, 
just  as  before  he  had  become  a  Frenchman.  He  came  to  the 
affairs  of  his  country  with  a  sense  of  duty  which  made  the 
patriot  Niemcewicz  surname  him  the  volunteer  from  base- 
ness. 

The  last  chance  which  fortune  reserved  for  him  might 
perhaps  have  redeemed  him  in  the  minds  of  his  countrymen, 
had  he  known  how  to  make  use  of  it ;  but  an  invincible  pro- 
clivity for  intrigue,  and  the  desire  to  rise  at  any  cost, 
dragged  him  down  to  shameful  ways,  and  at  last  brought 
contempt  upon  him.  Charged  by  Alexander  with  taking 
the  wreck  of  our  army  back  to  Poland,  he  was  told  to  stop 
at  Leipsic,  to  exhume  the  remains  of  Prince  Poniatowski. 
After  fulfilling  this  obligation  Krasinski  ought  to  have  dis- 
appeared, lived  on  the  past,  and  waited  the  course  of  events. 

To  speak  of  the  transfer  of  these  venerated  ashes,  I  must 
collect  myself. 

The  funeral  procession  anticipated,  the  route  began  to 
swarm  with  a  numerous  population  that  went  to  meet  him 
whom  they  regarded  as  the  depository  of  the  national  hon- 
our. It  was  all  weeping  and  wailing.  The  clergy  came  in 
full  pomp  to  the  town  gates  of  Warsaw,  to  receive  the 


GENERAL  JEAN  HENRI  DOMBROWSKI. 

(',•«  an  e>igra?>ing  fry  Hopiuoo  t  of  the  portrait  fry  Sf/ic/io::  it 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  221 

corpse,  which  was  laid  on  a  hearse  covered  with  a  mantle 
of  ermine  and  adorned  with  insignia  and  coats  of  arms. 
The  troops  followed  in  dull  silence,  with  arms  reversed. 
Of  a  sudden,  and  by  a  spontaneous  movement,  the  soldiers 
rushed  at  the  horses,  unharnessed  them,  and,  without  even 
referring  to  their  officers,  seized  upon  the  coffin.  They  thus 
reached  the  church  of  the  Holy  Cross;  there  they  sur- 
rendered the  precious  burden  into  the  hands  of  the  general 
officers  who  deposited  it  in  the  subterranean  chapel.  Later 
on  Poniatowski's  remains  were  to  be  removed  to  Cracow, 
to  the  cathedral  where  our  kings  and  our  great  men  lie 
interred. 

From  that  day  forth  every  morning  a  crowd  pressed  into 
divine  service,  devoutly  attending  the  funeral  mass  cele- 
brated at  the  coffin.  More  than  once  did  I  find  myself  be- 
side an  old  soldier  bedewing  the  steps  of  the  catafalque  with 
his  tears. 

My  mourner's  carriage  had  been  able  only  to  follow  the 
procession  slowly,  in  the  midst  of  this  throng,  whose  sor- 
row, more  than  any  others',  I  understood  and  shared.  I 
had  taken  my  children  with  me ;  it  seemed  to  me  as  though 
I  were  absolving  a  last  duty  in  offering  their  youthful  im- 
agination the  sight  of  this  dark  drama ;  I  wished  them  never 
to  forget  what  glory  there  is  in  living  and  dying  so. 


COUNT  PAC. 

From  an  engraving  by  fuL'ke. 


PART  THE  FIFTH 
THE  RUSSIANS  AT  WARSAW 


CHAPTER  I 

KOSCIUSZKO  AND  ALEXANDER 
1815 

CORRESPONDENCE  BETWEEN  ALEXANDER  AND  KOSCIUSZKO 
IN  1814 — THE  BURIAL  MOUND THE  MINISTERIAL  COUN- 
CIL— NOVOSILTZOFF — M.  DE  LANCKOY's  CHIBOUQUE. 

WHILE  visiting  my  husband's  parents,  where  I  am 
engaged  with  the  education  of  my  three  children,  I 
sorrowfully  resume  the  recital  of  the  events  which  happened 
in  Poland  after  the  abdication  of  Napoleon. 

The  Emperor  Alexander  declared  he  would  take  our 
country  under  his  immediate  protection.  At  Paris  he 
evinced  the  most  flattering  regard  for  the  Poles.  Upon  this 
General  Kosciuszko  thought  it  proper  to  address  a  letter 
to  the  Emperor  of  Russia,  as  reproduced  here : 

Letter  from  Kosciuszko  to  the  Emperor  Alexander. 

"YOUR  MAJESTY — If,  from  my  humble  place  of  retreat, 
I  venture  to  address  a  great  monarch,  it  is  because  his  gen- 
erosity is  well  known  to  me.  I  begin  by  asking  three 
favours  of  Your  Majesty:  the  first  is  to  grant  a  general 
and  unrestricted  amnesty  to  the  Poles,  and  to  decree  the 
freedom  of  the  peasants  scattered  through  the  foreign  ar- 
mies when  they  shall  return  to  their  homes.  The  second 

225 


226  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

is  that  Your  Majesty  will  proclaim  Yourself  King  of  Poland, 
accept  a  constitution  analogous  to  that  governing  England, 
and  that  You  will  establish  schools,  maintained  at  the  cost 
of  the  government,  for  the  instruction  of  the  peasants. 
The  third  is  that  their  serfdom  be  abolished  in  ten  years' 
time,  and  that  they  enjoy  owners'  rights  on  their  land. 

"If  my  prayer  is  heard,  I  shall  come,  ill  as  I  am,  to  throw 
myself  at  Your  Majesty's  feet,  and  thank  You,  and  render 
homage  to  my  sovereign.  Could  my  weak  capacities  still 
be  of  any  use,  I  would  leave  at  once,  to  join  my  com- 
patriots and  faithfully  serve  my  country  and  my  King. 

BEEVILLE,  April  9,  1814.  "KOSCIUSZKO." 

Alexander  replied  on  the  $d  of  May,  the  date  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  1791.  Skilled  in  the  art  of  political  coquetry, 
he  purposely  chose  a  day  dear  to  the  Poles  to  make  them  the 
most  splendid  promises,  and  to  secure  the  personal  affec- 
tion of  Kosciuszko.  This  was  his  answer : 

Letter  from  the  Emperor  Alexander  to  Kosciuszko. 

"I  feel  a  deep  satisfaction,  General,  in  answering  your 
letter.  Your  dearest  wishes  are  accomplished.  With  the 
aid  of  the  Almighty  I  hope  to  realize  the  regeneration  of 
the  brave  and  worthy  nation  to  which  you  belong.  I  have 
solemnly  promised  to  do  so,  and  at  all  times  its  welfare  has 
occupied  my  thoughts.  Political  affairs  alone  have  hin- 
dered the  execution  of  my  plans.  Those  obstacles  no  longer 
exist.  Two  years  of  terrible  and  glorious  fighting  have 
levelled  them.  A  little  while  yet  and  the  Poles  shall  re- 
cover their  country,  their  name,  and  I  shall  have  the  happi- 
ness of  convincing  them  that,  forgetting  the  past,  one  whom 
they  thought  their  enemy  will  be  the  man  to  fulfil  their  de- 
sires. What  great  pleasure,  General,  to  have  you  at  my 
right  hand!  Your  name,  your  character,  your  talents  will 
be  my  firmest  support. 

"Believe  me,  General,  in  fullest  esteem, 

"ALEXANDER." 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  227 

Such  words  admitted  no  doubt  of  the  intentions  of  him 
who  had  written  and  signed  them  with  his  own  hand.  Kos- 
ciuszko,  seduced,  and  carried  away,  came  to  Paris  to  offer 
his  services  to  the  emperor,  who,  full  of  consideration  for  the 
champion  of  liberty  everywhere  (Kosciuszko  had  partici- 
pated in  the  war  in  America),  went  so  far  as  to  order  a 
guard  of  honour  to  be  stationed  in  front  of  the  mansion 
occupied  by  the  general. 

Understanding  what  enthusiasm  that  honoured  name 
would  arouse  in  Poland,  Alexander  effusively  accepted  the 
noble  patriot's  generous  offer,  initiated  him  into  his  plans, 
and  invited  him  to  follow  him  to  the  Congress  of  Vienna, 
where  our  fate  was  to  be  finally  decided. 

Having  however  soon  persuaded  himself  that  the  schemes 
of  the  Emperor  Alexander  were  not  or  could  not  be  what 
his  ardent  patriotism  had  imagined,  he  held  aloof,  and  de- 
clined to  have  his  name  associated  with  the  illusive  promises 
incessantly  poured  upon  us  by  the  autocrat. 

His  heart  full  of  bitterness,  Kosciuszko  returned  to  Swit- 
zerland, to  end  his  days  there.  A  few  years  later  he  died  in 
the  arms  of  faithful  friends,  leaving  a  name  which  will  be 
revered  forever.  The  Poles  obtained  permission  from  the 
emperor  to  take  back  the  earthly  remains  of  Kosciuszko  to 
the  soil  he  had  so  warmly  cherished  and  defended.  His 
body  was  laid  away  in  the  cathedral  at  Cracow. 

With  the  design  of  preserving  such  precious  memories, 
and  of,  so  to  speak,  renewing  them  in  perpetuity  by  placing 
before  the  eyes  of  future  generations  a  monument  which 
would  recall  the  services  and  devotion  of  this  popular  hero, 
it  was  decided  to  erect  a  burial-mound  in  his  honour.  It 
took  ten  years  to  make  this  monument,  and  enormous  sums 
of  money — all  classes  of  society  joining  in  subscribing :  the 
emperor  headed  the  list  and  contributed  his  gift.  Far  from 
being  without  greatness  of  soul,  Alexander  had  a  quality 


228  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

with  which  kings  are  rarely  endowed :  he  understood  ex- 
alted sentiments,  and  did  not  seem  to  take  umbrage  at  them. 

Directly  after  the  fate  of  our  country  had  been  settled  at 
the  Congress  of  Vienna,  the  Emperor  Alexander  added  to 
his  other  titles  that  of  King  of  Poland,  and,  wishing  to 
give  an  appearance  of  nationality  to  the  government,  he 
nominated  a  council,  with  which  three  men  of  the  highest 
integrity  were  connected :  Prince  Adam  Czartoryski,  Wawr- 
zecki  and  Prince  Lubecki — the  presidency  devolved  upon 
the  Russian  Senator  Lanckoy. 

Novosiltzoff  was  also  a  member  of  the  council. 

Nature  had  disfigured  this  man,  as  though  she  had  planned 
the  repulsive  expression  of  his  face  to  act  as  an  advertise- 
ment to  those  whom  his  cunning  and  duplicity  might  lead 
into  error.  He  squinted  in  a  very  singular  manner:  while 
one  of  his  eyes  fawned,  the  other  searched  the  bottom  of  the 
soul  for  the  thoughts  one  attempted  to  hide  from  him.  He 
was  presented  to  me  by  Prince  Czartoryski,  and,  during  the 
first  part  of  his  stay  in  Warsaw,  often  came  to  my  house, 
apparently  to  find  out  what  was  being  said  and  what  was 
thought  there. 

I  acknowledge  that  he  attracted  me  for  some  months — I 
believed  him  true  to  our  interests.  People  more  experi- 
enced than  I  were  caught,  and  recovered  less  quickly.  A 
natural  son  of  Count  Strogonoff,  Novosiltzoff  had  been 
brought  up  abroad,  thanks  to  the  munificence  of  this  great 
noble.  His  sojourn  in  England  had  given  him  the  appear- 
ance of  a  "gentleman."  His  malignant  influence  was  exer- 
cised in  Poland  for  twenty  years.  A  vile  and  covetous 
informer,  he  was  perpetually  inventing  conspiracies  to 
frighten  the  government,  and  thus  compromising  the  liberty 
and  life  of  young  students  whom  unhappy  mothers  ran- 
somed at  the  price  of  their  slender  possessions. 

Upon  his  installation,  M.  de  Lanckoy  sent  for  his  wife 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  229 

and  children,  all  of  Patagonian  ugliness.  Nevertheless,  in 
spite  of  his  being  the  type  of  a  Tartar,  of  his  protruding 
cheek-bones  and  his  little  Chinese  eyes,  M.  de  Lanckoy  had 
the  altogether  pleasing  face  of  an  honest  man.  He  was  one 
of  the  few  Russians  who  justly  pass  for  honourable.  But 
the  surface  smacked  of  the  bear,  so  rough  was  it. 

I  remember,  when  obliged  to  go  to  Mme.  de  Lanckoy's,  I 
was  cautioned  that  the  president  took  it  upon  himself,  like  a 
real  satrap,  to  come  into  the  drawing-room  with  his  pipe  in 
his  mouth,  when  he  expected  to  count  on  the  indulgence  of 
the  ladies  who  might  be  there.  I  therefore  comported  my- 
self very  stiffly,  so  as  not  to  be  received  as  an  intimate.  The 
room  where  Mme.  de  Lanckoy  was  sitting,  impregnated 
with  a  strong  smell  of  tobacco,  left  no  doubt  about  what  I 
had  been  told.  But  the  footman,  having  hastened  to  an- 
nounce me,  the  master  of  the  house  had  had  time  to  escape. 
I  found  a  number  of  people  there,  M.  de  Novosiltzoff  among 
them,  whom  I  accosted,  in  an  affected  tone,  with  regard  to 
the  infamous  odour  which  permeated  the  atmosphere  of  the 
drawing-room,  requiring  him  to  make  careful  search 
whether,  by  means  of  stove-pipes,  there  was  no  communi- 
cation with  the  guard-house,  situated  in  the  courtyard  of 
the  Briihl  Palace,  which  the  president  occupied.  I  had 
every  occasion  to  believe  that  I  had  been  understood,  seeing 
that,  since  that  day,  he  abstained  from  coming  to  smoke  in 
the  drawing-room,  which  earned  me  the  thanks  of  more 
than  one  of  the  ladies  who,  not  having  the  courage  to  tes- 
tify their  disgust,  had  found  themselves  compelled  to  swal- 
low the  puffs  of  smoke  which  M.  de  Lanckoy's  chibouque 
emitted. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  CONGRESS   OF  VIENNA 
1815 

PRINCE  CZARTORYSKI  AT  THE  CONGRESS — CORRESPONDENCE 

WITH  LORDS  GRAY  AND  HOLLAND THE  PRINCE  DE  MET- 

TERNICH— THE   PRINCE   DE   TALLEYRAND LORD    CASTLE- 

REAGH THE    CONGRESS    DANCES MONARCHS    AND    MIS- 
TRESSES  THE      TOURNAMENT NEWS      OF      NAPOLEON'S 

LANDING LONG  LIVE  THE  KING  OF  POLAND  ! — THE  NEW 

CONSTITUTION. 

PRINCE  CZARTORYSKI^  blinded  by  illusion,  and  believing  the 
object  was  reached  towards  which  all  his  thoughts  and  ac- 
tions had  tended,  had  followed  the  Emperor  Alexander  to 
the  Congress  of  Vienna.  There  an  everlasting  battle  en- 
sued between  fiction  and  truth.  Perceiving  that  Alexan- 
der's plans  were  by  no  means  what  he  had  flattered  himself 
they  were  going  to  be,  and  being  desperately  anxious  to 
engross  England  in  the  interests  of  his  country,  the  prince 
engaged  in  an  intimate  and  sustained  correspondence  with 
Lord  Gray  and  Lord  Holland ;  he  did  his  best  to  explain  to 
them  that  it  was  indispensable  to  the  peace  of  Europe  that 
the  encroachments  of  Russia  be  checked,  and  Poland  be  set 
up  again  on  a  sufficiently  strong  footing  to  act  as  the  bul- 
wark of  civilisation. 

These  letters,  copies  of  which  I  saw,  the  prince  was  so 

230 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  231 

injudicious  as  to  confide  to  the  care  of  a  secretary  who  had 
worked  with  him  personally  for  a  number  of  years.  The 
character  and  devotion  of  this  man  appeared  to  be  over- 
sufficient  guarantees,  but  the  letters  were  finally  abstracted 
in  the  most  underhand  manner,  and  given  up  to  M.  de 
Novosiltzoff,  who  afterwards  used  them  as  evidence  against 
a  minister  and  friend  on  whom  Alexander  bestowed  the  full- 
est confidence.  The  emperor  having  learnt,  in  the  course 
of  years,  to  value  the  qualities  and  talents  of  Czartoryski, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  congress  associated  him  with  all  the 
work  bearing  upon  the  future  destiny  of  Poland.  But  Czar- 
toryski, who  had  no  ambition  but  to  be  useful  to  his  country, 
and  to  serve  her  with  unexcelled  zeal,  was  like  the  heroes 
of  antiquity  who  sacrificed  all  their  affections  to  their 
motherland.  They  who  had  suspected  him  of  working  for 
himself  have  strangely  misjudged  him. 

Of  course  the  representatives  of  the  different  European 
cabinets  came  to  Vienna  with  other  intentions  than  the  Em- 
peror of  Russia. 

They  were  all  agreed  upon  the  iniquity  of  the  partition 
of  Poland,  as  well  as  upon  the  impossibility  of  allowing  the 
continued  existence  of  a  state  of  affairs  which  must  breed 
incessant  trouble.  They  all  wanted  that  country  to  resume 
her  former  condition,  to  be  free  and  independent. 

Prince  Metternich  protested  in  the  name  of  his  master, 
declaring  he  would  not  shrink  before  the  greatest  sacrifices, 
but  with  the  proviso  that  Poland  be  ruled  by  a  national 
government. 

M.  de  Talleyrand  on  his  side  insisted,  in  the  name  of 
France,  on  the  re-establishment  of  Poland,  saying  that  the 
partition  of  that  country  had  been  the  prelude  to  the  dis- 
turbance of  all  Europe;  but  that  the  King  of  France, 
scarcely  firmly  installed,  could  take  no  more  than  an  ad- 
visory part  in  the  matter. 


232  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

As  in  England  public  opinion  always  influences  the  poli- 
tics of  the  cabinet  more  or  less,  Lord  Castlereagh  did  not 
fail  to  speak  very  plainly  about  Poland,  urging  the  necessity 
of  making  reparation  for  the  worst  political  crime  that  had 
ever  soiled  the  annals  of  the  civilised  world.  The  noble 
lord  asked  the  parties  concerned  to  adopt  a  system  which 
would  do  them  honour  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world. 

Prussia,  whose  interests  were  bound  up  with  Russia's, 
observed  silence,  glad  to  have  escaped  from  the  destruction 
with  which  Napoleon  had  threatened  her. 

In  the  midst  of  these  momentous  transactions  the  Con- 
gress danced,  as  it  has  been  maliciously  said.  We  were 
kept  aware  of  everything  that  happened;  every  one  had 
friends  or  correspondents,  who  eagerly  recounted  the  most 
trifling  details.  The  sovereigns,  like  children  escaped  from 
their  teacher's  ferrule  for  the  first  time,  gave  rapturous  vent 
to  the  enjoyment  of  being  masters  at  home.  The  great 
colossus  who  had  kept  them  uneasy  for  so  long  was  not 
there  to  threaten  and  constrain  them.  Completely  happy, 
they  amused  themselves,  like  the  kings  they  ivere,  imagin- 
ing they  had  nothing  further  to  fear.  Each  monarch  made 
his  choice  of  a  lady.  Alexander  paid  homage  to  the  young 
woman  reputed  the  most  virtuous,  Princess  Ansperg;  she 
was  thought  so  proper  and  so  plain  that  this  selection 
caused  unstinted  surprise ;  some  even  laughed  in  their  sleeve, 
the  famous  Mile.  Bourgoing  having  compromised  the  em- 
peror's reputation  during  his  stay  in  Paris. 

The  King  of  Prussia  became  smitten  with  the  pretty 
Julia  Zycsy.  All  the  minor  potentates  followed  this  ex- 
ample, and  soon  the  congress  was  metamorphosed  into  a 
court  of  love,  so  that,  every  morning,  the  ministers  ex- 
changed diplomatic  notes  with  whose  contents  the  sovereigns 
acquainted  themselves  very  speedily,  in  great  haste  as  they 
were  to  fly  to  their  pleasures.  So  business  went  limping. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  233 

The  Viennese  court  displayed  a  magnificence  which  no 
one  had  dreamt  of;  it  seemed  as  though,  on  the  verge  of 
ruin,  the  treasury  must  have  been  depleted;  but  this  was 
nowhere  apparent.  The  Emperor  Francis  gave  gorgeous 
festivities,  among  them  a  tournament,  at  which  the  whole 
nobility  of  the  country  vied  with  one  another  in  splendour; 
the  old  coats  of  mail,  and  the  wealth  of  the  caparisons  all 
in  gold  and  precious  stones,  could,  if  required,  have  ran- 
somed some  illustrious  prisoners. 

The  loveliest  ladies  appeared,  covered  with  diamonds; 
they  distributed  prizes  worthy  of  the  magnificence  of  the 
festival,  which  was  given  in  the  great  imperial  riding-ring. 
Several  thousands  of  spectators  were  present,  admitted  by 
cards  given  out  by  the  court  and  by  the  ladies. 

In  the  midst  of  this  gaiety  and  these  splendid  entertain- 
ments M.  de  Talleyrand  received  a  message  which  brought 
the  news  of  Napoleon's  landing.  There  was  no  longer 
time  to  exchange  notes  and  to  negotiate;  it  was  a  general 
scramble  to  get  out  of  the  way — nothing  else  was  thought 
of.  Couriers  were  sent  out  in  every  direction  to  stop  the 
several  armies,  all  on  their  way  home.  It  would  be  safe 
to  assert  that,  that  day,  kings  and  ministers  went  to  bed 
with  their  hats  on  and  girt  about  with  their  swords,  such 
was  their  alarm ! 

This  was  the  dissolution  of  the  famous  congress  and  the 
birth  of  the  treaty  of  1815 — come  into  the  world  under  the 
stress  of  fear  inspired  by  the  unexpected  return  of  Napo- 
leon. And  this  treaty  settled  the  fate  of  Poland. 

Alexander,  pleased  with  a  quicker  and  easier  conclusion 
than  he  had  dared  to  hope  for, — given  the  difficulties  he 
had  encountered  at  the  outset, — proclaimed  himself  king  of 
a  country  that  was  yielded  to  him  without  reserve.  He 
made  a  great  to-do  about  an  alleged  restoration,  which  he 
pretended  to  look  upon  as  his  most  beautiful  title  to  immor- 


234  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

tality,  whereas,  at  bottom,  it  was  nothing  but  one  partition 
more,  seeing  that,  gaining  four  millions  of  subjects,  he  could 
not  possibly  dispute  the  others  their  free  possession  of  the 
provinces  they  had  allotted  to  themselves  at  the  dismem- 
berment of  our  unhappy  country. 

Unable  to  deny  that  he  must  justify  himself  in  the  sight 
of  those  whom  he  had  many  a  time  promised  a  great  deal 
more  than  he  had  kept,  Alexander  declared  that  the  peace 
of  Europe  had  not  allowed,  for  the  moment,  of  all  the  Poles 
being  united  into  a  single  state. 

The  messenger  who  brought  this  important  piece  of  news 
was  at  once  sent  on,  armed  with  despatches  for  the  Presi- 
dent, the  Senate,  and  M.  de  Novosiltzoff. 

He  arrived  towards  evening.  At  once  a  discussion  arose 
how  to  publish  the  contents  of  the  important  missive  in  the 
most  striking  manner.  Novosiltzoff,  who  took  the  initi- 
ative in  everything,  decided  the  best  way  would  be  to  ex- 
claim in  the  auditorium  of  the  theatre,  during  the  inter- 
mission: Long  live  the  King  of  Poland!  A  singular 
invention,  to  be  sure ! 

From  anybody  else  this  mode  of  announcing  an  event  of 
such  great  moment  would  justly  have  been  thought  a  kind 
of  epigram,  for  there  was  certainly  comedy  in  all  this  affair. 
But  it  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  imperial  commisssary 
was  perpetrating  a  bad  joke.  So  the  thing  was  done  in 
that  way,  and  as  there  were  a  number  of  people  in  the  par- 
terre who  were  suborned,  and  still  more  who  were  dupes, 
the  shouts  and  the  applause  became  frantic.  But  the  boxes 
remained  cold  and  silent!  None  of  the  persons  who  in- 
fluenced opinion  joined  in  the  noisy  demonstrations  which 
burst  forth  from  different  places  in  the  parterre. 

M.  de  Novosiltzoff  fussed  in  vain,  shot  encouragement 
from  his  squinting  eyes,  dispensed  smiles  and  handshakes; 
every  one  quickly  resumed  silence. 


£ 

§  I 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  235 

Some  of  the  emperor's  adjutants  who  happened  to  be  in 
Warsaw  circulated  in  the  theatre ;  they  stopped  at  the  doors 
of  the  boxes,  but,  discouraged  by  the  cold  reception  they 
met  with,  and  hardly  knowing  what  countenance  to  take  on, 
they  went  back  to  their  places  with  the  utmost  appearance  of 
being  discomfited. 

In  such  a  manner,  then,  were  we  apprised  of  an  event  of 
such  apparently  large  importance,  but  which  scarcely  af- 
fected our  precarious  position,  although  we  were  promised  a 
constitution  founded  on  national  representation. 

A  representative  government,  like  that  which  he  had  seen 
operating  in  England,  was  for  the  moment  Alexander's 
hobby.  He  played  at  constitution-making  as  little  girls 
play  at  being  lady. 

Those  near  and  devoted  to  him  claimed  that  his  inten- 
tions and  projects  tended  to  perform  more  than  he  had 
promised ;  they  said  that  Alexander,  embarrassed  by  the  dis- 
content in  Russia  which  his  partiality  for  the  Poles  was 
already  beginning  to  stir  up,  was  obliged  to  act  with  care 
and  deliberation.  This  assertion  I  am  unable  to  refute; 
but  it  seems  to  me  that,  if  Alexander  had  sincerely  wished 
to  regenerate  Poland,  he  would  never  have  delegated  such 
authority  to  his  brother,  the  Grand  Duke  Constantine, 
knowing  quite  well  that  he  must  abuse  it,  and  also  that  his 
character  and  ideas  ran  counter  to  the  generous  and  liberal 
measures  which  the  emperor  declared  himself  as  desirous  of 
adopting.  On  the  I3th  of  May,  1815,  Alexander  signed  the 
preliminaries  of  a  constitution  by  which  his  new  kingdom 
was  to  be  regulated.  Not  without  surprise  was  the  flatter- 
ing promise  remarked,  that  our  charter  would  be,  as  far  as 
possible,  approximated  to  that  of  May  3,  1791,  the  object 
of  every  patriot's  respect.  But  a  different  sentiment  was 
evoked  when  it  was  seen,  in  the  following  article,  that  this 
same  constitution  was  to  be  regarded  as  a  sacred  bond  which 


236  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

united  for  all  times  the  Kingdom  of  Poland  to  the  Empire 
of  Russia. 

Nevertheless,  had  this  charter  taken  effect  in  good  faith, 
the  nation  would  have  been  satisfied.  But  displeasure 
reached  its  highest  pitch  when,  on  the  day  of  publication,  it 
was  noticed  that  some  articles  had  been  omitted,  and  others 
altered.  The  charter  had  passed  through  the  hands  of  M. 
de  Novosiltzoff. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  EMPEROR  ALEXANDER  AT  WARSAW 

1815 

THE  EMPEROR'S  ARRIVAL — THE  BALL  IN  THE  ASSEMBLY- 
ROOMS — THE  GRAND  DUKE  CONSTANTINE — RUSSIAN  DIS- 
CIPLINE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  NEW  MINISTRY PRINCE 

ADAM  CZARTORYSKI GENERAL  AND  MADAME  ZAIONCZEK 

— THE     GRAND     DUKE's     MISTRESS— CONSTANTINE's     RE- 
VENGE. 

ALEXANDER  made  his  entry  clad  with  the  double  title  of 
general  peacemaker  and  beneficent  regenerator;  this  title 
was  supported  by  a  seductive  grace  of  manner  and  by  the 
composure  that  good  fortune  bestows.  He  was  no  longer 
the  young  and  confiding  prince  we  formerly  saw  hastening 
towards  disaster.  He  was  a  monarch  in  all  the  strength  of 
maturity — he  had  been  tested  by  reverses,  and  was  now 
buried  under  fortune's  favours. 

He  was  greeted  with  a  quiet  and  respectful  welcome 
which,  to  be  sure,  did  not  resemble  the  enthusiasm  Napo- 
leon had  inspired. 

Long  discussions  took  place  as  to  the  mode  in  which  Alex- 
ander's arrival  was  to  be  celebrated.  Some  proposed  that 
the  ladies,  in  the  guise  of  Slav  divinities,  should  go  to  meet 

237 


238  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

him,  and  present  bread  and  salt  to  him,  signs  of  peace  and 
unity  with  the  Northern  nations.  This  was  with  reason 
deemed  too  theatrical,  and  was  not  adopted.  Others  wanted 
the  ceremonies  resuscitated  once  practised  at  the  election 
of  kings.  M.  de  Novosiltzoff  frowned  on  this  plan,  saying 
it  was  not  proper  to  mix  memories  with  hopes.  The  form 
customary  in  every  country  was  therefore  decided  upon, 
that  is  to  say  illumination  with  transparents  and  free  the- 
atrical performances.  The  town  gave  a  splendid  ball  in 
the  Assembly-rooms,  which  were  for  the  occasion  connected 
with  the  Grand  Theatre,  and  which  were  decorated  with 
supreme  taste  and  elegance. 

The  emperor  came  escorted  by  a  whole  staff  of  Polish 
generals;  himself  wore  our  military  uniform,  and  wore  no 
decoration  but  the  cordon  of  the  White  Eagle.  It  looked  as 
though,  striving  to  make  us  forget  that  he  was  ruling  other 
peoples,  he  wished  to  instill  into  us  as  much  confidence  as 
affection.  His  insinuating  manners,  the  gentle  and  benevo- 
lent expression  of  his  face,  touched  every  one,  and,  let  us 
frankly  confess,  the  ease  with  which  we  Poles  allow  our- 
selves to  be  impressed  did  the  remainder,  and  I  believe  on 
that  day,  Alexander,  carried  away  by  the  outburst  of  the 
sentiments  his  presence  evoked,  imagined  a  free  and  inde- 
pendent Poland,  where  he  would  have  found  a  home  and 
faithful  subjects. 

It  was  at  this  ball  that  for  the  first  time  we  saw  the 
Grand  Duke  Constantine  acting  as  adjutant  to  his  august 
brother;  with  sword  at  side,  tight-buttoned  uniform,  he 
never  let  the  emperor  out  of  his  sight,  eager  for  his  com- 
mands, and  appearing  to  enjoy  the  stiff  and  unnatural  de- 
meanour which  the  habit  of  being  on  duty  begets.  Nor  did 
he  ever  excuse  himself  from  this  parade,  and  whenever  the 
emperor  came  to  Warsaw  the  grand  duke  yielded  his  place 
to  no  one;  he  called  duty  what  was  his  greatest  pleasure. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  239 

He  was  thus  condemned  not  to  dance,  and  always  to  stand 
at  the  door  of  the  room,  so  as  not  to  miss  the  departure  of 
his  superior. 

In  passing  I  hazarded  a  jest  to  which  he  replied  with 
imperturbable  gravity :  "Duty  before  everything.  The  em- 
peror himself  could  not  release  me  from  it." 

Such  was  this  prince's  love  of  discipline,  that  he  would 
have  thought  himself  committing  a  crime  had  he,  giving 
way  to  his  brother's  insistence,  for  an  instant  left  his  post. 
To  him  the  drill-ground  was  as  good  as  a  field  of  battle,  be- 
cause, not  at  all  brave  by  nature,  he  liked  only  the  imita- 
tion of  that  dangerous  trade.  His  excessive  severity 
towards  the  soldier  resulted  as  much  from  the  ferocity  of  his 
instincts  as  the  extreme  importance  he  attached  to  the  mi- 
nutest details.  Had  Constantine  been  endowed  with  Alex- 
ander's character,  he  would  surely  have  ultimately  subdued 
the  Poles.  It  is  even  probable  that  the  burning  patriotism 
which  had  roused  us  to  the  boldest  and  most  reckless  enter- 
prises would  at  length  have  succumbed  to  the  influence 
of  a  government  less  arbitrary  and  more  in  accord  with 
the  institutions  which  had  been  promised  us. 

Let  us  hope  that  Providence,  in  its  inscrutable  designs, 
is  reserving  for  us  a  destiny  we  cannot  possibly  foresee,  and 
that  its  blessings  will  be  proportionate  to  our  punishment. 

The  emperor's  first  stay  was  accompanied  by  noteworthy 
changes  in  the  administration  of  the  kingdom.  The  pro- 
visional government  was  replaced  by  a  permanent  govern- 
ment. M.  de  Lanckoy  went  off,  I  scarcely  know  to  what 
degree  of  latitude,  to  manage  one  of  the  provinces  of  the 
vast  empire,  where  I  am  sure  he  was  more  in  place  than  he 
had  been  at  Warsaw. 

The  army  already  had  a  chief  in  the  person  of  the  grand 
duke;  it  was  a  question  of  nominating  the  lieutenant  of  the 
kingdom,  and  of  forming  a  ministry.  The  emperor  called 


240  MEMOIRS    OF   THE 

into  the  government  nearly  all  who  were  ministers  during 
the  short  life  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Warsaw.  M.  Sobo- 
lewski  was  Secretary  of  State,  M.  Matuszewicz  took  the 
finances,  M.  Mostowski  the  Department  of  War,  Count 
Stanislaus  Potocki,  my  father-in-law,  Public  Instruction; 
the  judicial  branch  was  confided  to  Wawrzecki,  the  only 
man  who  had  taken  no  previous  part  in  Polish  affairs,  be- 
cause, being  in  the  service  of  Russia,  he  had  come  to  War- 
saw only  after  Alexander  had  given  us  a  temporary  govern- 
ment. He  was  not  very  favourably  regarded,  Although  his 
honourable  character  and  the  services  he  had  rendered  his 
country,  after  the  War  of  1794,  ought  to  have  sufficed  to 
condone  his  acceptance  of  an  office  which  was  forced  upon 
him. 

All  the  other  ministers  happened  to  be  men  of  eminent 
minds,  of  remarkable  education,  whose  proved  patriotism 
and  unimpeachable  descent  gave  the  best  founded  hopes  to 
the  nation,  which  could  not  do  otherwise  than  applaud  Alex- 
ander's selection.  At  the  instigation  of  Napoleon  he  un- 
happily judged  it  necessary  to  send  a  representative  with  the 
title  of  Imperial  Commissioner,  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  Polish 
government,  and,  more  unhappily  still,  this  very  momentous 
choice  fell  upon  M.  de  Novosiltzoff.  His  mission  had  in 
truth  no  further  pretext  than  to  facilitate  relations  between 
Poland  and  Russia ;  but  by  force  of  cunning  and  skill  he  at 
last  insinuated  himself  into  the  Supreme  Council,  and  was 
ignorant  of  nothing  that  happened  there.  Being  the  secret 
agent  of  the  Russian  party  envious  of  Poland's  timid  eman- 
cipation, it  seems  he  was  bent  upon  a  rupture  between  sov- 
ereign and  nation. 

The  nomination  of  the  lieutenant  was  the  first  act  by 
which  Alexander  hurt  public  opinion.  No  one  was  worthier 
to  fill  this  important  post  than  the  Prince  Czartoryski.  An 
intimate  friend  of  the  emperor,  initiated  into  all  the  political 
secrets  of  the  day,  known  for  his  civic  virtues,  his  great 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA'  241 

erudition,  and  his  integrity,  he  was  fully  fit  to  be  the  em- 
peror's representative.  Such  had  probably  been  Alexan- 
der's first  intention ;  but  yielding  from  the  first  to  a  sinister 
influence,  he  sacrificed  his  friend  to  the  prepossessions,  or 
rather  the  premonitions,  of  his  brother.  Czartoryski  cer- 
tainly would  never  have  been  an  instrument  to  the  insane 
demands  of  an  arbitrary  rule;  he  would  not  have  behaved 
like  the  Grand  Duke,  who  never  was  able  to  submit  to  an 
order  of  things  he  did  not  even  understand. 

The  Prince  Czartoryski  did  no  more  than  keep  his  place 
in  the  senate,  and  lost  all  direct  influence  upon  public  affairs ; 
he  nevertheless  remained  curator  of  the  University  of 
Wilna.  In  this  important  post  he  was  supreme  arbiter  of 
public  instruction,  and  eight  millions  of  Poles  under  Rus- 
sian dominion  for  a  number  of  years  owed  him  the  most 
careful  education,  as  well  as  the  inculcation  of  the  noblest 
sentiments. 

Constantine  took  umbrage  at  names  which  owed  their 
prominence  to  the  times  only.  He  never  could  disguise  his 
aversion  for  the  great  Polish  families;  hence  he  hinted  to 
the  emperor,  that  the  choice  of  a  lieutenant  ought  to  fall 
upon  an  obscure  military  man,  who,  bound  by  ties  of  devo- 
tion to  Russia,  would  never  oppose  obstacles  to  any  order 
he  might  be  given.  Both  agreed  to  appoint  to  this  post  a 
decrepit  old  individual  devoid  of  any  administrative  ideas, 
and  whose  weak  character  and  subservience  to  the  new 
dynasty  assured  his  docility  in  advance.  Zaionczek  bowed 
his  head  grown  white  in  camps  of  war,  and  accepted,  as  it 
was  very  judiciously  put,  a  charge  above  his  ability  and 
compensation  below  his  merits.  An  upstart  soldier,  and  a 
creature  of  the  infamous  Branicki,  he  had  been  seen,  as  a 
sycophant  of  Napoleon,  to  follow  the  general  to  Egypt, 
without  however  becoming  noticed  among  such  a  host  of 
distinguished  officers. 

Returning  to  the  Polish  service  at  the  time  when  the  great 


242  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

man  was  giving  a  new  lease  of  life  to  our  army,  he  had  lost 
a  leg  at  Moscow,  which  lowered  an  already  unfavourable 
opinion,  as  likewise  did  the  injurious  rumours  to  which  his 
equivocal  conduct  in  the  war  of  independence  had  given  rise. 

His  wife  deserves  to  take  a  place  in  my  memoirs,  and  if 
history  denies  her  a  page,  those  who,  as  I  did,  knew  her 
intimately,  must  in  all  fairness  speak  of  the  dignity  with 
which  she  knew  how  to  maintain  herself  in  the  exalted  po- 
sition allotted  to  her.  She  exercised  a  great  influence  over 
her  husband;  she  unceasingly  combatted  the  servile  eager- 
ness which  he  applied  to  the  carrying  out  of  the  most  iniqui- 
tous behests,  when  he  would  at  every  opportunity  violate  the 
constitution  and  declare  openly,  that  before  all  he  was  doing 
the  will  of  Alexander  with  the  same  ardour  and  fidelity  which 
once  he  would  have  pledged  to  the  service  of  Napoleon. 

This  incessant  strife  frequently  brought  violent  storms 
into  the  family.  Madame  Zaionczek,  driven  out  at  one 
door,  came  back  through  the  other,  and  told  her  husband 
truths  which  no  one  else  would  have  ventured,  and  which 
did  not  always  remain  without  effect. 

Gifted  with  infinite  tact  and  moderation,  she  was  the 
great  lady  among  the  great,  and  humble  among  us.  Her 
sudden  promotion  in  no  wise  disturbed  her  habits  or  rela- 
tionships. Issued  from  an  unknown  family,  she  continued 
her  connection  with  her  own  people;  she  never  repudiated 
them,  without  however  pushing  or  keeping  them  forward. 
Noble  and  unselfish,  she  was  far  more  anxious  about  her 
husband's  reputation  than  of  the  advantages  of  which  her 
position  might  have  rendered  her  desirous.  As  light  in  her 
tastes  as  she  was  sound  in  sentiment  and  opinion,  she  pre- 
sented the  curious  combination  of  the  most  feminine  frivol- 
ity and  admirable  stability  of  character. 

Half  minister,  half  Ninon, — less  publicity, — she  indulged 
her  love  for  dress  and  the  fashions,  and  also  her  leaning  for 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  243 

tender  affairs,  in  spite  of  her  sixty  years,  without,  neverthe- 
less, ever  allowing  an  opportunity  to  escape  of  being  useful 
to  her  husband.. 

The  empress  mother,  though  strict  as  to  the  proprieties, 
treated  her  with  the  utmost  distinction  during  a  stay  she 
made  at  Warsaw,  and  even  had  her  thanked  for  resisting 
the  grand  duke's  advances,  who  had  wanted  her  to  intro- 
duce into  society  his  mistress,  a  Frenchwoman,  whose  an- 
tecedents were  of  such  a  character  as  to  shut  doors  in  her 
face. 

Here  is  how  the  thing  happened :  There  was  to  be  a  great 
ball  at  the  lieutenant's;  M.  de  Novosiltzoff,  ever  obliging, 
had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  go  to  ask  for  an  invitation 
card  for  Madame  Fridrichs.  Most  luckily  Madame 
Zaionczek  came  into  her  husband's  room  at  the  very  mo- 
ment this  delicate  piece  of  business  was  under  transaction, 
and,  perceiving  him  disposed  not  to  refuse,  she  declared 
that,  if  he  acceded  to  such  an  unseemly  request,  she  would 
give  herself  out  as  ill  and  not  attend  the  ball,  unless  indeed 
the  grand  duke  should  send  an  order,  written  and  signed  by 
his  own  hand,  so  that  she  could  justify  herself  in  the  eyes  of 
the  women  of  society. 

The  gallant  Mercury  conducting  the  negotiations  re- 
tired beaten. 

Madame  Zaionczek  suffered  the  reproaches  of  her  hus- 
band, who  prophesied  her  the  greatest  misfortunes.  But 
quite  on  the  contrary  this  determined  act,  which  soon  was 
as  well  known  in  Warsaw  as  in  St.  Petersburg,  earned  uni- 
versal regard  for  her. 

The  grand  duke  submitted  not  without  ill  humour,  but 
dared  to  say  nothing;  he  was  quite  sensible  to  the  impro- 
priety of  the  step  he  had  taken.  No  one  had  a  stronger 
sense  of  justice  and  injustice  than  himself.  Too  weak  to 
refuse  his  mistress  anything,  and  counting  on  the  cowardly 


244  COUNTESS    POTOCKA 

acquiescence  which  the  lieutenant  manifested  on  every  oc- 
casion, he  did  not  foresee  that  his  wife  would  interpose  an 
invincible  objection  to  this  absurd  plan.  Much  too  sly  to 
let  his  resentment  appear  immediately,  he  slowly  prepared 
his  little  revenge. 

Some  time  after  what  I  have  reported  the  town  gave  a 
grand  ball  to  Constantine,  and  asked  Madame  Za'ionczek  to 
do  the  honours.  As  was  right  Madame  Fridrichs  was  not 
invited. 

Standing  in  the  middle  of  the  ballroom,  the  duke  gave 
himself  up  to  his  ill  humour.  It  was  the  rule  for  the  lady 
assigned  to  the  reception  of  the  guests  to  attend  chiefly  upon 
him  in  whose  honour  the  festivity  was  held.  But  in  vain 
did  the  patroness  seek  to  interest  the  grand  duke  with  var- 
ious topics  of  conversation;  habitually  talkative,  he  that 
day  would  not  reply  except  in  monosyllables,  when  all  of 
a  sudden  putting  up  his  eyeglass,  he  began  to  scrutinise 
Madame  Zaionczek's  ball-dress,  a  costume  so  pretty  and 
fresh,  that  a  young  girl  might  have  envied  her. 

Constantine's  smile  boded  no  good.  Madame  Za'ionczek 
being  one  of  those  people  whom  nothing  escaped,  was  for- 
tifying herself  against  attack,  the  while  pretending  not  to 
notice  the  persistence  with  which  the  grand  duke  was  exam- 
ining her.  The  hour  of  vengeance  had  sounded ;  there  was 
no  escape. 

"Still  fifteen,  the  age  of  flowers  and  loves!"  said  the  duke, 
promenading  his  eyeglass  all  over  her  from  top  to  toe. 

"My  Lord  Duke,  do  you  command  me  to  withdraw?"  said 
Madame  Za'ionczek,  accompanying  these  few  words  with  a 
movement  which  indicated  she  was  ready  to  leave  the  ball. 
This  coolness  and  this  threat  so  put  the  duke  out  of  coun- 
tenance, that  he  remained  aghast,  proffering  apologies  in  the 
awkwardest  way  in  the  world,  and  this  time  again  the  laugh 
was  not  with  him. 


CHAPTER  IV 

MARRIAGE  OF  THE  GRAND  DUKE 
CONSTANTINE 

1820 

THE  DIET  OF  l8l8 — THE  GRAND  DUKE  CONSTANTINE's  PART 

PRINCE  JOSEPH    PONIATOWSKl's   STATUE JOAN   GRUD- 

ZINSKA MADAME         FRIDRICHS THE         WEDDING THE 

PIANO MADAME    WEISS THE    DUCHESS    OF    LOWICZ. 

THE  1 7th  of  March,  1818,  was  the  memorable  date  of  the 
opening  of  the  diet.  Europe  listened  with  astonishment 
and  admiration  to  the  words  of  an  autocrat  deeply  imprinted 
with  the  love  of  liberty.  Alexander  was  giving  free  insti- 
tutions to  a  small  number  of  his  subjects. 

"With  the  help  of  God,"  he  said,  "I  hope  to  extend  these 
beneficent  principles  to  all  the  countries  that  Providence  has 
confided  to  my  care." 

It  was  not  Poland  alone,  but  also  Russia  that  received  the 
tacit  promise  of  a  future  enjoyment  of  the  constitutional 
liberties  we  had  been  bereft  of. 

The  nation  assembled  in  full  faith,  believing  itself  called 
to  exercise  its  rights.  Meanwhile  the  sovereign's  intentions 
had  been  perverted : 

I.  Right  of  suspending  individual  liberty  (habeas  cor- 
pus) according  as  the  interest  of  the  country  might  re- 

245 


246  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

quire.  2.  The  budget  would  not  be  put  before  the  chambers 
for  debate  until  the  monarch  thought  expedient.  3.  The 
censorship  would  be  maintained. 

However  this  may  have  been,  the  emperor's  inaugural 
address  was  nothing  but  an  apology  for  constitutional  gov- 
ernment. All  the  newspapers  lauded  to  the  skies  the  mon- 
arch who  was  setting  so  fine  an  example,  an  example  one 
hoped  to  see  imitated  in  Germany,  where  the  nation  seemed 
still  riper  for  such  institutions. 

The  marshal  of  the  diet  was  General  Krasinski,  who 
was  as  fully  attached  to  Russia  as  Za'ionczek.  Over  this 
man  he  had  no  advantages  but  his  birth  and  a  remnant  of 
military  renown  somehow  acquired  in  the  Napoleonic  wars. 

One  of  the  strangest  events  of  this  diet  was  the  part  the 
grand  duke  set  himself.  As  a  prince  of  the  blood,  the 
charter  summoned  him  to  the  senate ;  but  whether  he  wished 
to  show  his  indifference  to  the  prescribed  rules  from  the  very 
beginning,  or  whether  the  oddity  of  his  character  always 
urged  him  to  recklessness,  he  accepted  the  mandate  of 
deputy  of  the  suburb  of  Praga.  Constantine  consulted  his 
august  brother,  who  encouraged  him  in  this;  the  emperor 
with  his  usual  cleverness  foresaw  that  the  duke's  menacing 
figure  would  be  useful  to  nonplus  the  orators  and  check 
their  dangerous  transports  of  patriotism. 

It  was  a  novel  and  curious  sight  to  behold  the  heir  pre- 
sumptive of  the  empire,  the  chief  author  of  all  the  abuses  of 
power,  setting  up  for  a  defender  of  the  people,  and  in  ap- 
pearance becoming  the  guardian  of  constitutional  liberties. 

During  the  fifteen  years  that  this  game  of  prince  lasted, 
Constantine  rarely  went  to  the  chamber.  He  spoke  only 
once — in  French — on  the  subject  of  provender.  He  pre- 
sented but  a  single  petition  in  favour  of  the  residents  of 
Praga,  and  it  was  the  only  one  which  met  with  the  em- 
peror's entire  approval. 


COUNTESS  POTOCKA  247 

Otherwise  he  confined  himself  to  the  minutest  inspection 
of  the  sentinels  posted  in  the  corridors  and  a  strict  super- 
vision of  the  police  while  the  sessions  were  in  progress.  In 
a  word,  he  did  the  corporal  more  than  the  deputy. 

Whether  from  kindness  to  the  grand  duke,  or  from  family 
pride,  Alexander  never  missed  a  parade;  afterwards  he  re- 
turned to  graver  concerns.  At  about  two  he  went  out  a 
second  time,  and  visited  the  ladies  he  marked  for  distinction. 

One  day  he  came  to  see  me,  and  I  profited  by  the  favourable 
occasion  to  ask  the  emperor  his  consent  to  a  plan  there  was 
of  erecting  an  equestrian  statue  of  Prince  Poniatowski  in 
one  of  the  squares  of  the  town.  As  an  heiress  and  near 
relation  to  the  hero  I  had  the  right  to  venture  this  request. 
Alexander  vouchsafed  to  grant  me  the  permission  I  solicited, 
and  spoke  in  terms  of  emotion  of  the  noble  qualities  and 
heroic  death  of  him  whom  it  was  intended  to  render  such 
well  deserved  homage. 

The  next  day  I  received  an  official  letter  from  the  em- 
peror confirming  his  promise.  He  authorised  a  public  sub- 
scription, which  the  army  headed  by  contributing  three 
days'  pay.  This  imperial  document  has  been  stored  with 
the  archives  at  Willanow,  where  it  is  religiously  taken  care 
of. 

After  remodelling  the  army  the  grand  duke  undertook  to 
apply  his  system  of  passive  obedience  to  all  branches  of  the 
government. 

In  every  point  resembling  the  Emperor  Paul,  his  father, 
Constantine  added  to  the  savageness  of  a  moujik  the  cour- 
tesy of  a  man  of  the  world;  he  prided  himself  on  his 
chivalrous  politeness  towards  women.  And  it  was  thus 
that  an  unexpected  change  came  about  in  the  grand  duke's 
private  life. 

The  concern  with  which  the  public  always  watch  the  most 
insignificant  actions  of  those  who,  through  their  position, 


248  MEMOIRS  OF  THE 

cannot  escape  their  inquisitive  eye,  soon  brought  to  notice 
the  grand  duke's  assidious  visits  to  the  house  of  Madame 
Broniec.  She  had  settled  in  Warsaw  for  the  purpose  of 
superintending  the  education  of  the  three  daughters  she  had 
had  in  her  first  marriage  with  M.  Grudzinski. 

Joan,  the  oldest  of  the  three  sisters,  being  the  plainest, 
was  at  first  not  much  sought  after :  well  built,  though  small, 
she  had  blond  locks  and  pale-blue  eyes  bordered  with  lashes 
ever  fairer  than  her  hair ;  her  face  had  the  washed  out  look 
of  a  pastel,  and  the  same  gentleness.  She  was  unspeakably 
graceful,  above  all  when  she  danced;  you  would  have  said 
she  was  a  nymph, 

Grazing  the  ground,  yet  touching  it  not. 

The  wits  said  she  had  glided  into  the  grand  duke's 
heart  while  dancing  a  gavotte. 

Madame  Fridrichs,  moving  among  people  who  repeated 
everything  that  happened  in  a  social  set  which  had  justly 
repelled  her,  became  jealous  and  quarrelsome.  Scenes  oc- 
curred, and  Constantine  then  dissembled  his  new  infatu- 
ation, which  became  more  serious  day  by  day. 

The  mother,  flattered  by  the  duke's  attentions,  too  stupid 
to  feel  their  impropriety  and  to  gauge  their  peril,  abetted 
the  interviews. 

Meanwhile  adulators,  and  such  as  were  intriguing  for 
places  or  pensions,  flocked  about  Joan,  who  remained  simple, 
modest,  and  reserved,  accepting  love  only,  and  disdaining 
all  the  rest — she  was  never  seen  with  a  jewel  nor  an  orna- 
ment more  than  her  sisters. 

This  situation  endured  for  two  years.  All  of  a  sudden 
the  rumour  was  spread,  that  a  wedding  had  taken  place, 
very  quietly,  but  embodying  the  whole  of  the  religious  and 
civil  ceremonial  ordained  by  the  Napoleonic  code,  still  in 
force.  Joan  Grudzinska  had  insisted  on  the  nuptial  bene- 


m 


\j 
ae 


\NTIN    PAUI.OWITZ 

^y   /                     ~/^            /"  /         ^  ^      ^ 
-.    TSe  le    8  Mai    1779.  — ~  - 


GRAND  DUKE  CONSTANTINE  OF  RUSSIA. 

From  an  engraving  by  Lignon  after  a  drawing  by  I'igneron. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  249 

diction  being  given  according  to  the  Catholic  rite.  The 
only  witnesses,  excepting  the  bride's  parents  and  sisters,  were 
M.  de  Novosiltzoff,  in  his  function  of  imperial  commis- 
sioner, and  Madame  Broniec's  physician,  Doctor  Czekierski. 

The  very  next  day  the  grand  duke  hastened  to  his  former 
mistress,  whom  he  had  married  to  a  young  officer  named 
Weiss.  Constantine  took  Madame  Weiss  to  his  wife,  and 
said,  in  presenting  her,  that  he  desired  them  to  be  on  good 
terms.  The  duchess  stiffened,  the  grand  duke  got  angry, 
a  misunderstanding  arose  which  only  grew  worse ;  the  pub- 
lic took  sides  with  the  legitimate  spouse  who  had  been  so 
cruelly  deceived  in  her  most  rightful  hopes.  Up  till  then 
she  had  inspired  no  more  than  a  mild  interest,  but  her  sad 
position  evoked  profound  commiseration.  She  went  into 
a  decline ;  her  deadly  pallor,  the  disorder  of  her  blond  locks, 
once  her  loveliest  adornment,  made  her  look  like  Ophelia. 

She  hid  her  sorrows  carefully,  but  her  face  betrayed  her 
secret  pain;  her  eyes  were  haggard,  and  she  seemed  neither 
to  see  nor  to  hear  anything  that  was  going  on  about  her. 
Thus  we  saw  her  participate  in  the  festivities,  given  in 
honour  of  her  marriage,  without  taking  the  least  interest  in 
them.  Like  a  machine,  submissive  to  her  master's  will,  she 
followed  the  grand  duke  without  so  much  as  looking  at  him ; 
she  sat  down,  and  kept  silent  and  motionless  till  the  moment 
when  a  sharp  order  from  her  husband  compelled  her  to  give 
a  lifeless  hand  to  the  partner  bowing  before  her.  She 
slowly  rose  from  her  arm-chair,  mechanically  kept  time  to 
the  rhythm  of  a  polonaise  without  proffering  a  word,  and 
suffered  herself  to  be  taken  back  to  the  seat  assigned  her 
without  an  apparent  notion  of  ever  having  left  it.  The 
grand  duke  pretended  to  notice  nothing,  but  he  was  in  a 
dark  humour,  and  could  not  subdue  his  displeasure.  So 
that  this  marriage,  to  which  Constantine  had  sacrificed  his 
right  to  the  throne,  and  which  had  given  room  to  a  long 


250  MEMOIRS    OF    THE 

series  of  disputes,  seemed  to  have  as  its  sole  result  the  un- 
happiness  of  the  wedded  couple. 

During  these  proceedings  the  emperor  arrived  at  War- 
saw, to  take  part  in  the  opening  of  the  second  diet.  He 
quickly  perceived  what  slight  harmony  reigned  in  the 
new  household,  without  however  immediately  guessing  the 
reason. 

The  grand  duke  and  duchess  remained  inscrutable;  as 
for  Madame  Weiss,  practised  in  the  arts  of  her  old  trade, 
she  understood  perfectly  how  to  cover  up  the  relations  she 
had  continued  with  the  duke.  A  fortuitous  circumstance 
cleared  up  the  whole  mystery. 

Alexander,  wanting  to  please  his  sister-in-law,  and  ob- 
serving that  she  had  no  piano,  sent  her  the  handsomest 
obtainable. 

At  one  of  the  morning  visits  which  the  grand  duke  en- 
couraged, Madame  Weiss,  having  pushed  into  the  duchess' 
boudoir,  not  without  surprise  became  aware  of  the  beau- 
tiful instrument.  Supposing  that  this  present  could  have 
come  from  no  one  but  the  duke,  she  evinced  jealousy,  and, 
wishing  to  give  a  further  proof  of  her  power  to  the  wife 
she  was  continually  insulting,  ventured  so  far  in  arrogance 
as  to  demand  the  gift  of  this  piano. 

The  duchess  made  a  dignified  defense;  the  scene  grew 
lively,  but  after  stronger  resistance  than  Constantine  was 
accustomed  to,  she  was  obliged  to  give  way,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  the  splendid  instrument  went  to  adorn  Madame 
Weiss'  saloon. 

Chance,  which  often  rejoices  in  disclosing  the  best  hidden 
facts,  smoothed  out  everything.  Alexander  went  to  dine  at 
the  Belvedere  almost  daily,  at  his  brother's.  Annoyed  at 
the  everlasting  triangle  after  dinner,  he  one  day  proposed  to 
his  sister-in-law  to  step  into  her  boudoir,  there  to  breathe 
the  perfume  of  flowers  while  listening  to  some  music. 


COUNTESS    POTOCKA  251 

Which  of  the  two  spouses  was  the  most  embarrassed? 
However  that  may  be  the  grand  duke  tried  to  give  the  mat- 
ter a  jesting  turn;  his  wife,  on  the  other  hand,  burst  into 
tears,  and  wrapt  herself  in  deepest  silence. 

From  this  moment  Alexander's  suspicions  developed  to 
certainty.  He  had  only  consented  with  reluctance  to  his 
brother's  divorce  and  second  marriage,  but  owing  to  his 
wish  to  keep  Constantine  from  the  throne  he  had  yielded. 
He  hoped  to  make  the  grand  duke  happier  in  this  way. 

The  emperor,  no  longer  in  doubt  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
misunderstanding  prevailing  at  the  Belvedere,  at  once  issued 
an  order  for  Madame  Weiss'  departure. 

The  most  perfect  concord  was  finally  established  between 
the  pair,  a  change  of  scenery,  you  would  have  said.  The 
duchess  revived.  The  sufferings  that  had  so  visibly  altered 
her  features  left  no  further  traces  upon  her  face;  Constan- 
tine's  attachment  seemed  to  increase  day  by  day. 

Alexander,  to  whom  she  owed  this  sudden  difference  of 
her  position,  did  not  stop  his  kindness  there.  Being  unable, 
out  of  consideration  for  his  mother,  to  give  his  sister-in-law 
the  title  of  grand  duchess,  which  belongs  exclusively  to 
princesses  of  the  blood,  he  granted  her  the  investiture  of 
the  Duchy  of  Lowicz,  of  which  she  assumed  the  name. 


HERE  my  notes  end.  If  henceforth  I  write  any  more  it  will 
be  without  sequence,  and  purely  to  state  the  noteworthy 
occurrences  engraved  upon  my  memory.  The  incessantly 
growing  misfortunes  of  my  country  and  my  own  sorrows 
have  taken  from  me  not  only  the  desire,  but  also  the  capacity 
to  write  my  memoirs.  It  is  repellent  to  me  to  accuse  others, 
and  try  to  justify  myself.  Moreover  the  "Confessions" 
of  Rousseau,  which  I  read  long  after  beginning  to  write, 
have  given  me  a  lesson. 

Despite  his  undoubted  talent  and  his  wonderful  prose  he 
has  contrived  to  gossip;  in  his  excessive  vanity  he  has  pre- 
sumed to  believe  that  there  are  people  privileged  to  be  effu- 
sive in  their  confidences  towards  posterity,  which,  however, 
is  rarely  patient  with  anyone  trying  to  interest  it  in  per- 
sonalities. 

What  a  queer  and  painful  sensation  it  is  that  one  experi- 
ences when,  after  a  long  life,  one  casts  an  attentive  look 
behind.  How  many  events  which  have  seemed  remarkable 
condemned  to  oblivion!  How  many  miscarried  ambitions, 
betrayed  hopes,  faded  regrets,  chilled  enthusiasms!  How 
many  so-called  deathless  passions  destroyed  before  their 
time!  What  importance  attached  to  petty  concerns  and 
to  silly  vanities  which  have  not  left  a  trace!  What  a 
vast  number  of  individuals  disappeared,  some  cut  off  in 
their  prime,  others  after  absolving  a  long  and  toilsome 
career !  How  many  acts,  how  many  names  seeming  to  de- 

252 


EPILOGUE  253 

serve  immortality,  hurled  back  into  the  gulf  that  swallows 
everything,  the  while  persons  of  smaller  merit  survive  be- 
cause they  happen  to  be  thrown  into  contact  with  great 
events ! 

And  we  have  witnessed  such  dramas;  we  have  all  rushed 
together  to  the  same  abyss :  bursts  of  joy,  cries  of  distress — 
all  intermingled! 

Arrived  near  the  goal,  are  we  armed  against  misfortune 
and  resigned  to  the  decrees  of  fate?  Alas!  Man  ceases 
only  to  suffer  and  to  hope  when  he  ceases  to  live.  Age 
modifies  and  changes  the  nature  of  our  impressions,  but 
nevertheless  does  not  blot  them  out. 


THE   END 


Library 


OOA 


^733 


DK 

U35.5 
P6A2E 


